Protection
by Paige-Kun
Summary: Kagome Hyuga was taken away at birth to be protected. What if she returns on her fifth birthday and people find she needs no protection at all? Also, which way will she sway when things get rough. Light, or Darkness.
1. December 27th

**Hellooooo ;] I have been itching to write this one up for quite a while now. SasuKag is most likely my favorite crossover pairing too, which makes things even better! So, here is the first chapter of 'Protection'. By the way, If anyone can think of an even better name for this story, I will surely credit you for it. :D**

**Disclaimer: Nadda... As in: No I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha. Nothing but manga 3**

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><p><strong>Chapter One:<strong>

December 27th was the day that started it all.

It was the day they were born, the day they were separated and the day they were reunited.

Snow had fallen on that very first and most special December 27th. People ran around town with their children, doing errands, talking to friends about the passing christmas, others just stood around and stared at the snow.

In a separated part of this large village was a compound for a family, a clan. Deep inside those walls was a woman and a man. Around them were many other women, but in the moment, it seemed as if it were just the two.

"Harumi, you can do it." the man told the woman in a knowing voice, his hand holding hers.

"Push!" was a shout from one of the ladies around them.

Said woman, Harumi, did as told and pushed with all her might. There was pain in what she was doing but knowing that her children would soon be in the world made the idea of labor sound better than it had.

"I can see the head, push!" another push and Harumi let out a stressed sigh that turned out to be more of a grunt. "The first one is out!"

The woman nodded, knowing the nurses would clean her baby off.

"Now, for the youngest..." Harumi murmured.

Harumi Hyuga was a beautiful lily, with pale lavender eyes and long flowing navy-blue hair. She was kind and loving to all and in turn, all adored her. She was as gentle as a calm stream and as soft as a newly found feather. Some envied her popularity, some wished for her beauty and others wanted her wealth. Then there were the trusted few that had loved the woman and everything she had ever done. Even then, on December 27th, while she lay on a bed ready to give birth to her second child, she looked like a goddess.

Ten minutes later and another child had been born leaving the mother of the twins relaxed and rested. Even though she was tired, her and her husband both stayed and waited for the two children to be returned to them.

When they were returned, the eldest was handed to the man and the youngest to the female. Two baby girls rested in each of their arms.

"Hiashi, they're... Beautiful." Harumi hummed, cradling the child like she had been doing it for ages.

"Yes, and for their names..." Hiashi, her husband asked. All around their village this man was known as cold hearted but even if he was, he loved his wife dearly and allowed himself to be soft around her and only her.

The male had long brown hair that was famous within the Hyuga clan, Harumi being the exception. His white eyes seemed more of an egg white than a pearly white. They held strength and power, but when he looked at his wife, they held love and respect. The man was well known around their village and was respected and worshiped as the head of the Hyuga clan.

"Ah, right." Harumi slowly sat herself up and looked over at the eldest daughter. Laying there in Hiashi's arms was a small girl with creamy skin and a peaceful expression on her face. Her eyes had yet to open, so Harumi could not tell what shade of white the girls eyes would be, but her eyes were full with dark eyelashes. On the top of her head was a patch of the same navy-blue as Harumi's own. She had her small little hands curled together as if she were holding something. Harumi nodded and whispered. "Hinata."

"Hinata Hyuga, it sounds like a well enough name for main branch." Hiashi nodded.

Harumi that looked down at the little bundle in her arms. She couldn't help but stare in wonder at how much this little one looked like her older sister. She had the same navy hair, same small body shape and same thick black eyelashes. Instead of a creamy skin, this girls was a tad bit whiter, but only a skillful eye would catch it. What caught Harumi's eyes was the girls face. The baby's lips were in a small frown, head cocked to the side and... Eyes wide open. A beautiful pearly lavender was the color of her eyes, and there were small specks of blue that were barley noticeable. The mother of the girl stared at the child who looked back with just as much patience, looking a bit worried. The older woman blinked before the name came to mind, "Kagome."

Even though it didn't follow the tradition of Hyuga names with the beginning letter 'H' and the ending letter 'I', it still seemed to fit the child so well.

Hinata, the sunny place and the lost one, Kagome. Her daughters.

"If that is what you wish." Hiashi looked down at his youngest. "Harumi, it would be wise if we were to call a wet nurse for Kagome now, seeing as she will be leaving for the Branch House soon."

You see, in the Hyuga clan, there are rules. If twins were to be born form the Main House, the eldest of the twins would remain in the Main House while the other was brought to the Branch House. The Branch House was made of lower ranked Hyuga's that were branded a curse mark when the heir to the main house turned three. The curse mark could be activated by anyone in the Main House to obliterate a Branch memebers mind and to keep the secrets of the Hyuga clan safe. The Branch House were servants to the Main house, working as maids or protectors to them.

"Hiashi, I was just wondering if... Before we send Kagome to the Branch House, may I spend a few minutes with both of our daughters alone?" she asked shyly.

"Of course, do so quickly though." he leaned down and placed Hinata in one of Harumi's arms.

"I will." she nodded and the Hyuga patriarch was soon out of the room.

"Ah, Kagome and Hinata. Such beautiful girls. I wish you wouldn't have to go through with the sealing, so I will keep it off course as long as I can." she whispered and than slowly got up from her position. She then slowly walked over to the crib on the side of the room and set the still sleeping Hinata inside of it.

With one arm free she walked over to an opposite wall and tapped on it three times. When one knock came from the other side, Harumi stapped back. A loose board in the wall opened up and a girl slid out. She had light brown hair tied back in a braid, her white eyes had the activated bloodline of the Hyuga, the Byakugan. A doujutsu that allowed the user 360 degree vision and allowed them to see through objects and into a humans body.

"At your service, M'Lady." the woman bowed.

"Ah, Haichi, I see you are still so formal, even if you are a Branch Member, we have been best friends since we were young. Anyways, we have more pressing matters than names." Harumi's face was a mix of worry and fright. "I need you to take Kagome away from the village, raise her as best as you can and try to keep her away from danger. Train her maybe, teach her the basics. She will need to be tough to survive. Can you do this?"

"Of course Mistress Harumi. May I ask why though?" the woman questioned.

"I have never agreed to the curse seal being placed on anyone and to have my own daughter receive it frightens me even more. I need her to understand what will happen if she comes back, and that she needs to be strong. It wont be easy when she comes back but until then I want her to have a few good years." Harumi explained quickly, and a little aimlessly. "Bring her back when she's ready. Haichi, I'm trusting you with all of my heart that you will watch over Kagome like she is your own, and if she asks about her family, tell her that your her aunt. Tell her that her mother loves her."

"Harumi?" was the stiff voice of Hiashi from the other side of the door, he seemed sort of angry and panicked.

"I put up a genjustu with some chakra, the Byakugan can't see in this room for now, but I can't keep it up much longer." the navy-haired woman informed Haichi. "Now go!"

Harumi gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and handed her over to Haichi, who then opened up the closest window and jumped.

Harumi jumped when the door was slammed open.

She turned to see Hiashi fuming, eyes with Byakugan activated.

"Why, Harumi?" was all he could push out.

The new mother of twins burst into tears then, running into the embrace of her husband.

"I was scared, the curse seal.. Kagome couldn't..." she sobbed.

"Eventually she will have to get the seal, you know that... Why you try to stop what is destined is beyond me." a sigh escaped the clan heads mouth.

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><p>Haichi had escaped Konoha as quickly as possible. She knew Hiashi would send gaurds after her so leaving that quickly was all she really could do.<p>

She made a beeline to the forest, not looking back, never looking back. The woman felt that if she looked back, not only would she stop to return but she would distroy the life of the child in her arms. Looking down though, she watched the small baby cry into the wind, making little to no noise at all. Sad, swollen eyes and snotty nose.

"I will take care of you child, at least until you understand how to protect yourself." she hummed. "If not for your sake, for your mother who cares so much for you."

Haichi had known that the serious look in Harumi's eyes had meant business when she asked her a favor a week before she went into labor. _"Haichi, I trust you so much that I need to give you a task that is even more important to me than an S-rank mission. I need for you to hide in the room next to my own when I give birth to my children. When you hear three knocks on the wood, knock back once and proceed to slide the fourth wall board sideways. Then and only then will I give you further instruction." _she had said. Haichi being the good servant and old playmate she was, accepted the mission. To know that the matriarch of Hyuga clan trusted her so, was an honor amongst all others. What had made her question the mission is when the Main House woman slipped an envelope into her hands. _"Here, you'll need it."_ She had opened said envelope when Harumi had left, only to find a large fortune of money waiting inside.

She understood now, that the money was to go towards Kagome's protection. To keep her safe for as long as she could.

"I will not give up." she steeled herself as she headed towards the border of Konoha, making it there in three days, only stopping to feed Kagome her own breast milk, still there from when she had her own child, and watching it die because of sickness. In a way, it felt right to Haichi to have a small Hyuga baby in her arms, feeding and protecting it. She wouldn't give up on Kagome, she knew that for sure. To keep the girl safe was her mission, so she would keep her safe. What Haichi had no clue of was that in due time she would not only grow fond of the girl, but love her as her own.

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><p>Haichi had found her way to a small, off the map town called Edo, stopping there for a few days before deciding that she would settle down there with Kagome and wait until she had to be on the move again. She had easily convinced the towns folk that she was the aunt of the child and that her sister, Kagome's mother, had died during child birth. When questioned for the reason of why she did not stay back where she came from she used the same excuse. <em>"I cannot live in the place in which my sister had. Her light had spread joy and now that she is not in this world, I do not think of that place as home."<em>

Haichi bought a small two bedroom house in the forest to raise Kagome in. She knew the money that Harumi had given her had been enough to let them live for a good twenty years with not going broke. Still, Haichi decided to get herself a job when Kagome was older, not only to seem less suspicious but to keep her mind off of her home, Konoha.

A week after Kagome's birth, Haichi was settled down with the navy-haired baby. She sat in her new living room and watched out the large window as it thundered, cradling the reason for the mission in her arms.

"We'll get through this, I know we will."

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><p>Over the years, Haichi had raised Kagome as best as she could, trying to teach her to be as gentle as Harumi and yet as strong-willed as her father. It never seemed tough raising the girl though. She was most often then not being calm, she would sometimes get bosy and would flaunt her first word 'sit', trying to make Haichi sit in order to control the adult. By the time when Kagome turned three, the age when Kagome was to originally be branded, Haichi started her training.<p>

Three was a young age, but yet she needed to get things through to the girl, to raise her up with knowing these things. She started with chakra control, trying to help the girl manipulate such chakra into objects. The Hyuga woman remembered when Kagome had first made a toy butterfly she had, glow with chakra. The girl had screamed with joy, calling it pretty and watching it with wide eyes.

On her forth birthday, Haichi introduced the pale girl with weapons, showing her that they were to be taken seriously, and to not be used as toys. Kagome had only once been able to throw a Kunai and Haichi had regretted it.

_They had been out in the forest as usual, and Haichi had let the girl hold onto the knife._

_"Can you show me how to throw the Kunai? Like I showed you, alright?" _

_"Mhmm." Kagome narrowed her pupiless eyes in concentration, tongue pointing out of her mouth. The girl had grown and was around three feet tall, only coming up to Haichi's hip. She had her navy locks tied back in two short ponytails, small hands clasped around the kunai, grip as gentle and as soft as fur but just as steady._

_She moved her arm back, then quickly moving forward and with a flick of the wrist, the kunai was sent straight for their 'aiming' branch and right towards a bird had no time too move even with Kagome's warning cry, "Move birdy! Move!" Unluckily, the bird did not move and was struck to the ground. _

_The smaller Hyuga was sent crying, running over to the bird to pick it up. With shaking hands she pulled out the kunai and sat there staring down at the blue animal. She did not leave that spot for the next hour, sitting there mourning over the life she took. The _**first**_ life she took._

_It had shaken Kagome to the core and the girl did not train for two weeks after that. The only things she would do consisted of visiting the grave of the bird that she had held a burial ceremony for and picking wild flowers for the grave._

_Haichi had finally decided to talk to Kagome on the Friday of the second week. She had sat her down beside the grave of the bluebird and she herself leaned on the closest tree._

_"Kagome, what you did was an accident. You would never do such a thing on purpose, so you need to stop blaming yourself for it." the elder woman had explained. "You need to be strong. Not only for me but for the bird, for the town and for all the innocent. You see, strength is not only having muscle, it is also having the power to hold yourself up emotionally. To be strong you must have a balance, like the yin and yang. You have to be soft and tough at the same time."_

_Kagome looked up from the grave to her 'aunt'. "So, I have to forget about the bird?"_

_"No, I never said you had to forget it. Use it as a lesson that you just have to be careful. To be a ninja, you must put the past behind you, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't remember about it. You just can't let it get to you." Haichi smiled. "Now, how about we go and pick some flowers for the bird and let it rest for good?"_

_Kagome nodded, getting to her feet and running through the forest. She ended up finding a nice blue rose in the shade, that she was ever so proud of. Running back to the grave she laid the flower on top of the dirt and bowed for prayer. _

_"I will leave you be now birdy, but I will become stronger for you. I'll always remember the sound of your chirp in the morning times."_

_Haichi watched the girl with wide eyes. She was just as innocent as her mother, if even more so._

Later on that year Kagome had another run in with an animal. It had happened when Haichi was in the middle of cooking up a stew.

_"Aunt Haichi!" the voice sounded panicked._

_The brunette looked up from her stew to see Kagome with her wide pearl eyes staring down at something wrapped up in her jacket._

_"What do you have there?" Haichi asked the girl._

_"Look, look! I found him while I was practicing taijutsu!" she padded over near the stove. "His leg is hurt!"_

_When she unwrapped the cloth of her jacket Haichi found herself staring down at a little fox. Its leg was bent in a very sickening position and the small creature was whimpering._

_"Auntie, can you help him?" she asked._

_"Well, I will see what I can do. Can you watch over the stew while I fix up his leg?" the guardian of the small child asked._

_"Yes, of course." she nodded, handing Haichi the fox and running over to the corner of the room to grab a step stood. She quickly pulled it over to the stove and stood up to stir the stew._

_"Alright, I will be back in a few minutes." Haichi told Kagome, the girl just nodded from her place on the stool._

_Harumi's old playmate walked into her own room and set the fox on her desk. She started by activating her Byakugan and ran some healing chakra over its bones to numb its leg. Finding that it really was broken she quickly snapped the bone back into place, causing the small fox to howl in pain. Haichi then poured more healing chakra into the leg again, hoping to speed up the healing process a fair amount. Pulling some bandages out of her pouch she finished by wrapping its leg._

_When she came back into the kitchen, Kagome had already pulled the stew off the stove and was pouring some stew into each of the bowls. Three bowls to be precise._

_"Kagome, the fox is fine. Thank you for finishing the stew, but may I ask why you have three bowls prepared?" Haichi asked, the fox still cradled in her arms._

_"Oh! One for you, one for me and one for Shippo!" she said in a pleased tone._

_"Shippo?" Haichi asked._

_"Of course, I'm naming the fox Shippo!" she smiled. "I was hoping that I would be able to take care of him, just until we find his mother and father."_

_"Kagome you can't just-"_

_"I know that I cannot keep him as a pet! I will check his leg every day and feed him and take him outside. Please Auntie Chi." Kagome interrupted, using her special name for Haichi and bringing out her big puppy dog eyes._

_"Fine, as long as you keep up with taking care of him." the oldest Hyuga submitted._

_Kagome did as told and for the next few days she bathed him, fed him, made sure his leg was fine and took him outside. At night time, she would let the fox sleep on her bed with her. Some times Haichi would walk by and hear Kagome whispering to the little animal._

_"It's okay, I don't have a mother or father, so if we can't find yours you can stay with me forever. Okay Shippo?" she had once heard her say as she was going to bed._

_The next day though, when Kagome and Haichi were outside with a fully recovered Shippo, training, Haichi spotted somthing._

_"Kagome, look!" Haichi whispered to the girl who had just stopped training with gentle fist._

_The navy haired girl looked over to where Haichi pointed and her eyes widened. Right in front of them were two beautiful adult foxes, one male and one female._

_"They must be Shippo's mother and father!" Kagome whispered in awe, her response was Shippo the fox running off towards them._

_"Ah!" Kagome was shocked. When she recovered she raised her hand and started waving. "Bye Shippo! I'm glad you found your parents! Have fun and I'll miss you!"_

_Haichi couldn't believe how much alike her mother she was, with her bright smile and wide eyes. The love of all things innocent._

Around the end of Kagome's fourth year, Haichi started getting sick. At first she brushed it off as if it were nothing but as the year really came to an end, the sickness had spread and it was taking it's toll on her body. Slowing her down, exausting her. Soreness and coughing had also accured. Kagome herself had noticed that her 'Aunt' wasn't at her fullest so she finally confronted her.

_"Auntie Chi, are you alright? You seem to have a bad cough and you have been sleepy." Kagome asked worriedly, snow falling on her short navy hair._

_"I'm fine Kagome dear, just go back to training. I'm going to get a drink." Kagome paused before going back to target practice, easily getting the center of the red and white targets. _

**She is improving**. _Thought Haichi as she walked back to the house._

_When she entered she walked over to a counter where a clean empty glass sat. She picked it up and ran it under the tap, taking as much water as possible. She than chugged down the water like it was nothing, but winced in pain as she began to cough._

**I need to bring her back home, It will be tough on her but she's not safe here with me being sick. Being branded isn't so bad, and we've held it off for around two years. Next week is her birthday, plus, I would want Kagome to meet her family some day. We were just trying to hold off the inevitable. **_Haichi coughed as she thought. _**We need to go soon.**

_So for the next day, Haichi acted as if nothing was wrong but when it became five days to Kagome's birthday, the woman decided that then was the time to go._

_"Kagome," she had woke the sleepy girl up. "We're leaving now, please get up and get ready."_

_"Leaving? To where?" Kagome rubbed her eyes._

_"I'm taking you back home... To your Mother and Father." that jolted Kagome awake._

_"What? I actually get to meet them?"_

_Haichi paused, "Well yes. You will be living near them, with other parts of your family."_

_"Oh! Okay." Kagome nodded, trying to act calm but Haichi could see into the almost five year olds eyes and see the excitement._

_Kagome packed a small bag with all of her favorite clothes and her one stuffed animal, a bluebird she had named Sango. The eldest of the two packed nothing, knowing she would need nothing._

_They stepped out into the crisp winter snow and Haichi got Kagome up on her back._

**I should be able to get her back by her birthday, if not sooner.**_ The wise woman hoped more than knew._

_As the week passed, they landed at the Konoha gates with no time spared._

_That day was Kagome's birthday and boy would there be a ton of surprises raging through the Hyuga complex._


	2. Birthday Suprises

**Alright, well this one is about ... 500 words shorter than the other one. Oh well x] At least I'm almost consistent? In the next chapter, things will be explained a little more.**

**Oh yes! I would like to thank ason21, AnimeFreakAmanda, Applejax XD, Speedykitten1643, EatThis and Pen Marks for reviewing. -Gives you all some cake (Happy Applejax? Lol) Also, thank you to all who added this to your favorites and alerted me :] You all get cookies.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha. Boring disclaimer...? I know ;]**

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><p><strong>Chapter two:<strong>

They arrived at the Konoha gates on Kagome's birthday.

The guards looked up from their posts and narrowed the eyes at the woman.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Konoha?" they asked.

"I am Haichi Hyuga of the Branch House and I am returning home from a long-term mission." Haichi tried to keep her breath steady.

The girl on her back moved to peek over her shoulder, only to see two guards there.

"Hi!" she shouted with a large smile.

The guards were taken back as they saw the small girl with navy hair and Hyuga eyes looking over the older woman's shoulder.

"Who is that?" the second guard asked.

Kagome squirmed on Haichi's back, and the woman let the girl down. She instantly walked over to the second guard, her body small compared to his. She looked up with a warm smile and bowed. "My name is Kagome Hyuga and I am here to go home."

"Kagome... Home? You mean you're-" he was interrupted by Haichi.

"Yes, this is Kagome Hyuga. _The_ Kagome Hyuga who has yet to be marked and is the missing daughter of Hiashi and Harumi Hyuga. Now, if you would please let us through." she said coldly.

"Oh, yes. Of course." the two stepped aside and Kagome gasped in awe. Behind the guards was the large village that was Konoha, with many large buildings scattered in rows. Marketplaces with many busy people shopping were set up. Kids running around playing and animals running along with them.

Haichi stood beside her and reached down for the girls hand.

"We will be going now Kagome." she told the girl who nodded.

They walked down the streets, being stared at by all. Kagome waved to people every once and a while. Other than that though, Kagome looked at Konoha in wonder.

"Is this my new town Auntie Chi?" the girl asked.

"Well, yes. You will be living here in this town with your parents." the woman replied, turning the girl down familiar roads and towards the Hyuga complex.

When they arrived at the complex Haichi realised the place was even larger than it had been five years ago. The large gates were even larger and were a freshly painted black. The walls that surrounded the complex were higher and there seemed to be more buildings.

The two females walked up to the gates where another set of guards were. One female and one male, they each had a caged bird seal on their head.

"Halt, who are you? You may have the Hyuga eyes but that doesn't mean a thing. Show us your Byakugan." the female demanded.

Kagome looked up at Haichi and stared in wonder as her eyes became full of veins and veins also started to bulge at the sides of her eyes. She had seen this happen before but it always made her wonder if her eyes would ever do that.

"Alright, what is your name?" the male asked.

"Haichi Hyuga, fourth General of the Branch House." she ignored their wide eyes at the name.

They both bowed saying, "Our apologies."

The girl than came out of her bow and asked, "We though you were dead, where have you been all these years?"

"I have been protecting Kagome Hyuga, Hiashi and Harumi's lost child." she told her, sweeping her eyes over to the small girl holding her hand.

"So your saying she is Kagome Hyuga?" the male asked, eyes still wide as he looked down at the child.

"Hi!" Kagome smiled at him.

"O-Oh my!" the female guard whispered before opening the gates and calling out, "Someone alert Sir Hiashi and Lady Harumi! Their daughter has returned!"

Kagome didn't understand what was happening but soon enough a large crowd of people were standing by the gates. Two large men that looked a lot alike with the only difference being one wore a headband around his forehead and the other had more formal clothing. Another person standing there was a woman with large pearl eyes like her own and purple silk gowns. She had a worried expression on her face. Standing in front of one of the men, the one with the headband to be exact, was a boy who could have been her age or maybe older. He had long brown hair like the two men that was tied off near the tips, and held out of his face by a bandage around his forehead. Lastly, behind the one woman was a girl that looked around Kagome's own age with the same navy color as her own and same pearl eyes. She wore a light green kimono and her cheeks were rosy with a blush.

"Uhm, hello there." Kagome stepped forward, letting go of Haichi's hand and moving forward to bow. "My name is Kagome Hyuga, it is nice to meet you all."

"Oh, Kagome!" the woman with pretty robes ran forward and pulled the girl into a hug. Kagome felt so warm in the embrace and almost hugged back but remembered that she knew nothing of these people.

"Excuse me ma'am. May I ask why you are hugging me?" her small and childish voice asked.

"My, my. I am sorry." the woman stood back and gave a little bow herself, which surprised almost all of the people standing around them. The Matriarch of the Hyuga family did not bow for many people. "I am your mother, Harumi Hyuga."

"M-My mother?" Kagome's eyes were wide in shock. She looked back to Haichi who nodded.

Looking back at the woman she could see her as her mother. They had the same pale skin and hair color.

"Then... Who is my father?" she whispered to Harumi.

"That would be I." a strong and forceful voice rang through the air, and Kagome looked up to see the man in the formal robes step forwards.

"O-Oh." was all she could get out.

"Yes Kagome, and now that you are back, preparations shall be made." the man said.

"P-Prepara-tions?" Kagome tried to pronounce the word.

"Plans dear." Harumi summed it up for Kagome before turning back to her husband. "Hiashi, she just got back, please don't make her go through that. It's her birthday."

"My birthday? That's today?" the small girls cheeks puffed up as she thought about the date.

"Yes, but it's not only your birthday dear. It's also your sister Hinata's birthday." Harumi looked behind her to the other female child. "Hinata come here to meet your sister."

The girl with short hair slowly shuffled up beside her mother, a large blush on her face.

The two girls stared at each other for a while, a silence between them before they both bowed at the same time and said, "It's nice to meet you. Happy birthday." Hinata's though held a few stutters but they both looked up at each other with wide eyes.

Everyone around them paused for a few minutes only to have the silence broken by Harumi's giggles.

"Hinata, this is your younger sister, Kagome. Kagome, this is your older sister, Hinata." Harumi explained.

Kagome smiled and moved a step forward to envelope the older girl in a hug. All around them was gasps, even from their own mother. Kagome found herself seated on the ground in the next five seconds, Hiashi standing in between them.

"That is enough. You do not touch your sister like that, she is of higher rank than you." he said coldly.

"But aren't you my father? Why can I not hug Older Sis?" Kagome asked, getting up off the ground.

"That is Lady Hinata to you, you will address her as such for as long as you live." he told her.

"Why?" she turned around to look at Haichi. "Auntie Chi, I'm confused."

"Kagome, the truth is, I am not your aunt. I am your mothers servant." Haichi looked away from the girl, unable to watch the girls face.

"B-But..." Kagome had no words. She was to confused. First, she had no parents, only her Aunt Haichi. Now, she did have parents and Haichi wasn't her aunt? Plus, she had a sister that she couldn't even hug and a father who liked to be mean to her.

"Kagome sweetie, me and you need to talk, okay?" Harumi bent over to pick up the small girl. The navy haired girl just nodded. "Hiashi, I will be back shortly."

The woman walked away from the group and across the front yard of the main house. She went around to the back, humming to the girl as she did, and walked over to the back wall. She ran her hand across it until she found a crack. She slipped her hand into the crack and pulled sideways, opening up a small opening that the woman ducked through.

Kagome looked around as Harumi closed the opening back up. There was lush trees everywhere and flowers bloomed like crazy. In the middle of the opening was a small pond with a low bridge over it.

Harumi then took Kagome over to the ponds bridge and set her down. She sat herself down on the edge, pulling her feet over and letting them dip into the water where koi swam. Kagome followed her example, only her toes could touch the water though.

"Kagome, I know that this is all so sudden and scary, but you will get through it okay? Your my strong little girl, I can tell. This is going to be confusing and you might not understand but I am going to try and clear things up alright?" Harumi, explained, getting a nod from the girl who was staring down at the fish.

"Our family is split into two houses, the Main House and the Branch House, you understand?" another nod. "Well, the Main House are the rulers of the Hyuga clan, they run the family. The Branch House are the protectors of the Main Branch. They serve them as guards and maids."

"Why though? Why does Father not want me to touch Older Sis?" Kagome asked.

"You see dear, me your father and Hinata are in the Main House. You would be as well if it were not for you and Hinata being twins. When people are born twins in the main house, the youngest of the two is sent to the Branch House to become the eldest's protector." Harumi sighed. "As for why your father will not let you touch Hinata is because, some people believe that the Main House is more powerful than the Branch House, meaning that they do not want Branch members to taint or make any Main House members inpure."

"Inpure? I always wash my hands though, so I wouldn't get Hinata dirty!" Kagome looked over towards her mother finally.

"That's not what I meant Gome, I mean that people do not wanting you touching Hinata because she's in the Main House and you are not. You are apart of the Branch House and you are practically Hinata's servant." Harumi cupped Kagome's cheek. "You will understand more when your older."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Kagome's mother spoke up again.

"Kagome, tonight you will most likely be moving in with the man that looks like your father and the young boy you saw today. The mans name is Hizashi, hes your uncle and Neji is his son." She informed her daughter. "Also Kagome, tomorrow they are going to place a mark on your forehead that will cause you a lot of pain, but you have to stick though it alright? And no matter what, always behave yourself around the Main House, can you do this for me?"

"Of course Mother." Kagome dipped her toes further in the water, getting the tips of her sandals wet.

They spent the next ten minutes sitting there and enjoying the sight of the Koi fish. That was until Harumi stood up from her spot and offered Kagome a hand saying, "We better head back now."

Kagome did as told and walked back with her mother, hand in hand. She was lead inside the large main building and down through many corridors. They ended up in a large room with a big circular table and many chairs around it. Sitting at the table was none other than her Father and her Uncle. They sat side by side with a piece of paper in front of them. Hizashi, her uncle, reached for a pen and when he got one he wrote something on the piece of paper which Kagome guessed was his name.

"There, now with Kagome's blood it is official." Hiashi looked up to his wife and then looked down to his other daughter.

"Kagome Hyuga, come over here." the brunette ordered his daughter and the navy haired girl complied. She stood in front of him and watched as he took out a kunai and grabbed her hand. Her eyes widened and she gasped for breath when he slashed her thumb with the knife. As blood started to draw Hiashi quickly pressed her thumb to the page, leaving a bloody thumb mark behind.

"Brother, she is all yours now." Hisashi nodded to his brother ans Hizashi stood and walked over to Kagome.

"We will be leaving now Kagome. I will show you to your quarters so you may get some rest." he told her and she was then dragged out of the room. The walk was silent until they reached outside of the main building and began heading towards one of the smaller buildings that surrounded the Main House.

"I understand what your going through, I've been there before. Do not let my brother and the Main House get you down. I will train you to become stronger than Hinata and we will show the Main House." he looked down to the girl, checking her over and then nodding to himself. "Neji will finally have himself a sparring partner."

Kagome had no clue of what he was talking about but listened and nodded anyways.

They walked into a house that seemed a little bit more lively than the other house. The smell of freshly cooked food wafted through the halls and noises could be heard from a room to Kagome's right.

"Neji will be in the dojo right now, practicing but he will join us for dinner shortly." her uncle told her.

They walked down a second hallway and into a room on the left. Inside was a small bed with a beige comforter, a wardrobe in the corner of the room, a desk with a mirror hanging above it and a window pointing out towards a training ground. It was a sad room but Kagome knew that she wouldn't mind fixing some things up.

"This will be your room. Put away whatever things you have and follow the smell of food to the kitchen." the man told her. He then said, "Neji's room is beside yours and my own room is at the end of the hall."

Kagome nodded and waited for her uncle to leave and when she did she hurriedly walked over to the bed and sat down on it, pulling her bag off her back and unzipping it. She pulled out a pair of sandals, a jacket, some pants, a few shirts and one nightgown. She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it up to find a few hangars. She got on her tippy toes and jumped to grab a hand full of them. She then proceeded to hang her clothing on them and reached up to hang her jacket on a hook. She then finished by putting the sandals at the bottom of the wardrobe and took off her current sandals to go with them.

Her bare feet padded on the wood floors as she walked back to her bag to pull out her tooth and hair brush and set them on the desk. She then took Sango, her stuffed bluebird out and set her on the beds pillow. To keep her bag safe she slid it under the bed.

She finished quickly and headed out of the room, sniffing the air for food. Finding the sent of cooking vegetables she padded down the hall to find the kitchen. She paused when she reached the hallway that her and her uncle had entered through, it seemed that the noises had stopped and she was sure that the boy, Neji had stopped his training.

Continuing down the next hallway, Kagome found herself in a small kitchen with a woman working over the stove. She had thin brown hair pulled back in a bun and spiky bangs that swept across her face.

"Uhm, hello." Kagome said.

The woman turned around and smiled. "You must be Kagome, I'm Hinoki. I am Mister Hizashi and Sir Neji's personal cook."

"Would you like help?" the small girl asked.

"Well that would be wonderful, but maybe some other time, ne? Mister Hizashi seemed to be waiting for you in the dinning room with his son." she laughed joyfully and pointed to double doors that no doubt led to the dinning room.

"Oh, thank you." Kagome bowed and ran forward, opening the doors and slipping in.

She was met with silence as she turned around and found two males sitting at a table, waiting for food. She walked towards the table and sat opposite of the boy, which meant she also sat beside Hizashi who was at the head of the table.

"Kagome, this is Neji. Neji, this is Kagome, she will be living with us for now on." his father told him.

Neji nodded, a small smile on his face.

"Nice to meet you." Kagome bowed her head.

The rest of the night went on silently, they ate their food with no conversation and then it was off to bed for the children.

The next morning Kagome rose early to get ready. She got changed quickly, throwing her dirty nightgown into the hamper that Hinoki had brought her the night before. She brushed her hair and went to brush her teeth in the bathroom she had been shown to also the night before.

She walked down the hallway slowly, not to make any noise and made her way to the kitchen. She spotted Hinoki by the counter rolling onigiri, humming a soft tune.

"Hinoki." she whispered and the older Hyuga turned around with her normal wide smile.

"Good morning Kagome. Whats got you up this early?" she asked.

"Mother told me that I was going to be 'sealed' today, and that it would hurt. So I was wondering if I could help you with breakfast today. Just in case something bad happens." Hinoki stared at the girl in astonishment. Not only did she use more mature words, she also asked to actually help. To think that Hinoki thought she was kidding about the other nights offer.

"Well of course. I'm just rolling some onigiri, have you ever done that before?' Hinoki asked and Kagome nodded with a smile.

She found a stool in one of the lower cupboards and used it to reach the top of the counters.

First she washed her hands and went over to roll some rice, filling it with all sorts of things like, tuna with mayonnaise, pickled plums, shrimp, chicken, a creamy tomato, small berries filling and even barbecue pork with sauce. When they were finished the sun had started to rise and their were over hundreds of onigiri.

"We have to make enough for the main part of the Branch House." Hinoki had explained. She had then told Kagome to go ahead and have a few for her hard work.

Kagome had chosen the more plain flavors, thinking that the better onigiri should go to all the hard working Hyugas.

Hizashi and Neji soon came from their rooms fully clean and dressed, ready for the day.

Neji took three onigiri, as Hizashi took four. They each ate their food in the dinning room, making little to no talk as Kagome stayed in the kitchen, helping to box the onigiri and a few other foods.

"Hinoki, is the mark really painful?" the small girl looked up at the older with her innocent lavender eyes.

For the first time in her life, the elder woman squirmed under the gaze of a small girl. The innocence she saw, it needed to be protected... It needed to stay strong while it still could. So what could she tell the girl, without breaking her heart? She could never tell the girl that the pain was great, and never really stopped. All you had to do was ignore the small sharp daggers that resided on the forehead and throughout the mind.

"It's not so bad." she said hesitantly.

"Oh!" the little girl smiled. "That's good. I have been hurt before, like when I cut my leg with a kunai and the time I broke my finger. Auntie- I mean, Haichi always helped me with the pain though. She always healed it."

The Hyuga cook did not have enough courage to tell Kagome that it was more like having your body cut to shreds by a kunai, or having every single bone in your body broken. It was somthing she kept to herself. She knew that bracing the girl for the pain would have been the smartest idea, but she could never really tell something so harsh to something so sweet.

Hizashi chose that moment to enter the kitchen with Neji.

Hinoki excused herself to go clean up the dishes that had been left by the two Branch Members.

"Kagome, it is time for you to see my brother for the curse mark." he looked stern and mad, but placed a hand on her head as if he were trying to comfort her somehow.

She smiled up at the older man. "I'll stay strong, don't worry Uncle Hizashi." She then bowed to Neji, not catching the pitied face he gave her.

"Have a good day training." she smiled and took Hizashi's offered hand.

The small boy Hyuga stared at their retreating forms. He shook his head lightly and walked to the dojo.

Kagome and both her parents, along with her uncle, stood in a room full of Hyuga elders, and important people withing the clan. Her mother gripped her hand lightly, having switched hands from Hizashi to Harumi.

Kagome looked around the lowly lit room. In the middle there were two cushions, each a beige color. Around those cushions were candles that were lit in a circle. Every one then sat around the circle of candles on their legs. Each one looked stone cold and no one bothered talking so the room was an eerie silent. Oddly enough though, on each wall there seemed to be one black out line of a perfect crescent moon.

The woman gave the girls hand a squeeze just as her father started to talk.

"Today we have the marking of Kagome Hyuga, the daughter of myself, Hiashi Hyuga, and my wife, Harumi Hyuga." he said in a stern voice that was loud enough to reach across the room.

Each Hyuga nodded once, knowing it was time to watch as the ceremony would happen.

Kagome was led to the farthest cushion in the room by her mother. The small girl sat down like all the others, on her legs. Her father than sat before her as her mother came behind her, tying back the spiky bangs from her face.

"Stay strong." the woman whispered in her ear.

Kagome steeled herself and closed her eyes as she heard her father flipping through hand signs. What would it be like? Would it hurt a lot, or would it be okay? What about afterwords? What could it do to her? Would she be able to become a ninja with it? Well, Neji was training to be one and Hizashi was already a ninja. Auntie Chi, well... Haichi, was a ninja and she had one too. Things would be fine, right? Right?

Last minute panic welled up in Kagome, but she was already frozen in place. Even if she were to move it would have been too late.

Suddenly she felt two fingers pressed to her forehead. She expected pain, and lots of it, but all that came was a white light and then the feeling that she was so light that she was floating. The last thing she remembered hearing were a series of gasps.

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><p><strong>I don't like this chapter much, but there you go! I have to admit I am proud of myself for getting another chapter done. ;]<strong>

**I also have no beta (don't plan on getting one for a while) so please ignore any spelling mistakes. I will be coming back to look over these chapters and edit a bit. Anyways, Until next chapter !**


	3. Her Mark

**Yeah, a shorter chapter... Boo! Just by another 500 words or so. x] I will work on making the next chapter longer. Surprisingly, this only took me a little while to write. I feel like writing my own stuff for this story is working well though. I will be following the story line a little while later, I just need some time to get into things. **

**And also, WOW GUYS! I really am so excited that everyone likes this story so far :D It really makes me smile knowing that people are reviewing this and telling me they like it. I've also got a lot of Alerts for this story and people adding it to their favorites and to their community's. Just wow... THANK YOU ! -Throws Kagome plushies to all ;]**

**Anyways, enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: No no no no. No Naruto or Inuyasha ownage falls into my hands ;]**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three:<strong>

Harumi Hyuga was a kind woman with kind eyes and flawless features. One would even say she was a piece of artwork that a god had created. Maybe it had been an admirer who had said such a thing?

She was a wonderful wife and mother, though sometimes she would doubt the last part.

_Was it really okay of me to send Kagome off like that? We set off her marking for two years, but maybe if she had been here she would have been more prepared when she was three. _She thought to herself as she looked down to her youngest daughter.

They were currently on their way to the girls marking ceremony. Though Harumi knew right down to the core that this form of torture should ever be called a ceremony. Some called it a 'Right of passage'. She would always scoff to herself thinking, _What kind of 'passage' would this be? A passage to a trail of hurt._

The woman had to admit that she didn't know what it felt like to be a Branch Member, with a curse seal to come with the label, but she had been there when Haichi had been sealed and marked. She remembered the two weeks the woman had been out unconscious, having to be kept alive on special medicines that would give her the right nutrience to live.

They entered a building separate from the others. Small, with a lot of circular candles and pictures. Crescent moon outlined in black on the inside and outside of the little shrine-like house. Some used to think that a well resided there, taking the chosen people off to the past.

Harumi had honestly believed in it at first, and even in her mature years she still had dreams about going to the past and seeing what it was like. Some times, she would share these dreams with Hinata. She also planned on telling Kagome one day.

People were already sitting around the very center of the room, waiting. All silent, as usual. These were the few people that were extremely trusted within the Hyuga compound.

The Hyuga matriarch pulled her daughter along with her to the center of the room, watching as she lowered herself into a sitting position like the rest of the Hyuga's. Her own husband sat across from her. She wondered if he really cared about Kagome some times. He had never really had time to grow a bond with her, and Harumi knew that Hiashi was quite a natural grump as well.

She herself walked behind the girl, hesitantly pulling and tying her bangs back with a bandana.

She leaned a little further and whispered into her daughters ear, "Stay strong."

It was directed not only to her daughter, but it was also said to re-assure herself that at least _something_ would be okay. As she watched Hiashi flip through hand seals, she prayed to any and all the Kami's that the pain would be little.

She watched... No, felt in the air, Kagome's will to live, will to stay strong. She tensed, eyes squinted shut. Harumi watched her bright five year old daughter, finally and truley seeing that the girl had a brain that didn't exactly match the innocence that was the childs entire essence. Such a strong and healthy mind.

The Hyuga woman clenched her fists when her husband made contact with Kagome's forehead. What she was expecting never happened though. Oh no, something even more extraordinary did.

Hiashi's fingers that rested upon the center of the girls brow lit up with a bright silver glow. His hands retracted quickly and everyone, including herself and her husband gasped. Kagome's eyes were then wide open, void of any emotion. The lavender in her eyes shining brightly. A silver mist encased her whole body, and swallowed up most of the room. Even with the Hyuga clans strong eyes, she had to look away.

When everyone looked back, their eyes widened as large as they possibly could.

There, right there, sitting perfectly in the middle of Kagome's forehead was a perfect black outline of a crescent moon. The same one that had been painted on the walls and outside of the building.

"The ancient Hyuga protection seal." was all she could whisper.

Everything was silent at first, but soon enough everything broke into pandemonium. Well, everyone started to chat loudly, some even yelled and a couple were freaking out, not much of a big deal right? Well, for such a reserved and quiet clan, this was like walking into a BBQ restaurant in the middle of Christmas. Very, very hectic.

"Quiet!" Hiashi suddenly yelled, causing everyone to hush. Always the calm and sensible one he was, even when surprised himself. "I know this is quite odd, but we need to check the facts before we take any sort of action."

Everyone quieted and calmed down.

Both Hiashi and Harumi moved closer to their daughter, both of them activating their Byakugans to take a closer look.

"Hiashi, her chakra... There's more of it than before and its... Silver." Harumi whispered, pulling their daughter into her arms.

"How could it be. The Hyuga protection seal died with your great-grandmother." Hiashi stood, as did Harumi.

"Yes, I would have never though the blood ran through her all the way down to Kagome." the woman continued to whisper.

"This is deffinitley the seal." Hiashi inspected the crescent mark. He looked toward one of the trusted elders and called to them. "Go fetch me one of the best healers, tell them to meet within the Main Houses healing rooms."

The woman that had been ordered, stood to leave but was stopped by a person who had yet to say anything until then. "That will not be necessary."

"Hizashi, who do you think you are to go against my orders." his twin turned to him with a frown.

"Do you not remember brother? Kagome Hyuga is under my care, the document was signed in blood. And so, I shall be taking her with me to the Branch House, to heal her myself." the kinder of the brothers informed.

As much as Harumi hated to admit it, her daughter was being taken care of by her brother-in-law. There was nothing anyone could do about it.

_She is more safe away from the Main Branch anyways. With that seal, she will have a hard time fitting in, but the Branch family would be more accepting._ Harumi thought, almost crying at the thought over her youngest child being treated differently.

She had a feeling though, that with the new discovery, things would be changing around the Hyuga compound. Some for good, some for worse.

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><p>When Kagome woke up, her head was mixed up. She felt lighter than usual, like her feet could come off and she wouldn't feel it.<p>

A weird calm was settled inside her. Like she knew she never had to worry again, for someone or somethingwas protecting her. A weird force that she had never felt, and it confused her.

She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to make sure the sleep from her eyes was gone. The girl looked around to find herself in her own dull room again. This time though, there was a large stand beside her bed. It held all sorts of things Kagome had never seen before. Things she noticed were medicines, a thermometer, some smelling salts and herbs.

Sure she was only five, but Haichi had taught her all sorts of things when they were bored, or if Kagome ever got sick or hurt. When she was teaching her, the information just planted itself in her mind.

The night blue haired girl slowly sat, trying to get used to the light feelings. She then stood, testing out her balance and when she thought it was good enough, she ran right ahead to the mirror over her desk. She lifted up her bangs to see the mark that should have been there. All she found though was an odd black outline of a crescent moon.

_That's not what Haichi's looked like. Hers had an X and two lines. Why is mine like this?_ She wondered. _I never even felt hurt either or maybe I did... And didn't notice?_

Kagome almost tripped and fell when Hinoki walked into her room. She almost didn't recognize the older woman for her hair was now in a braid.

"Ah, Kagome! You're awake I see." she smiled and laid down a small bowl of miso soup that she had planned to let the girl drink in her sleep. "How was your sleep?"

"It was good. I didn't see anything though. Just white." she rubbed her eyes, her cheeks puffing out when she tried to stop a yawn from coming out.

"You were asleep for quite some time." she informed her. "Almost three days."

"R-Really! Wow." she widened her eyes in shock.

"Yes, there's a reason for that, but I'm not really supposed to say right now." she giggled. "Hizashi is in a meeting, Neji is training. It's up to you what you want to do. First though, I want you to have some soup!"

The two girls sat and chatted, Kagome just getting more curious about the crescent moon mark as time went by. When she finished the miso soup, she took her bowl to the kitchen while Hinoki cleaned up her room a bit. She then went back to her room to change into a light blue play kimono that had been set in her wardrobe.

Hinoki had informed her that her own mother had sent a few articles of clothing to her. Kagome kept that fact in the back of her mind and made sure that she would say a thanks the next time she saw her.

The small girl walked down the halls of her new home, the smell of food being cooked for supper that night was coming from the kitchen. She listened to the cicadas as she walked down the open halls that looked into a small garden. She walked past a koi pond and continued down the hallways, exploring a bit more before she ended up at the door of the Branch House's dojo. Inside, the sounds of grunts could be heard, along with sounds of palms hitting wood.

Kagome opened the door just a crack and peeked in.

There, in the middle of the large dojo, was Neji. He stood in the gentle fist stance, one palm facing out, the other tucked into his body with wide legs. It was a position that was familiar with Kagome herself. She watched as he quickly stepped forward, striking the wooden dummy as fast as possible, hitting as many of the tenkestu that were marked on the doll as he could.

She leaned on the door a little too much and ended up slipping, pulling the crack open and falling to the ground. The Hyuga girl had obviously caught the attention of the other Hyuga with her loud noise. She looked up sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Why were you watching me?" he asked with a frown.

"Ah!" she sat up on her legs and bowed. "You are very good!"

"That's what everyone says. They call me a prodigy, which means I develop quickly at a young age. I am pretty much a genius." he smirked.

"Yes, that's amazing!" she stood up, moving to close the door but paused and looked back. "Would it be okay if I watched?"

The boy just looked at her. No one had ever wanted to watch him. Some had for the fact that he was great with the Gentle Fist, but that all stopped after a while. Everyone had just left him alone.

His answer came as a short nod.

Kagome smiled and closed the door, walking over to the side of the dojo and taking a seat. She stayed like that for the next half hour. She watched as he fluidly moved around the dummy, working on different techniques, some in which Kagome had never knew existed.

She had been informed that Neji was only one year ahead of her. A smart boy of age six that was already in the academy. As she watched him though, she noticed things that most wouldn't. He liked to lean mostly onto his left side, she saw. He also used his right palm more frequently. The thing that she looked at the most was the emotion he displayed.

In his eyes there was mixed emotions. Pride was shown flowing in his white eyes. Frustration was also there, for when he would miss a tenketsu. Beneath the two was a calm that he felt when he was training, but underneath all of those Kagome saw one thing that saddened her.

"Your lonely aren't you." she whispered.

Neji, who was about to hit a tenketsu faltered and looked to the side. "What did you say?"

"I think your lonely." she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You train here everyday by yourself, right? Well, wouldn't that make you lonely?"

"You don't know anything, your no prodigy, your only five!" Neji bit back, stopping his training.

"Well, I'm lonely too." she ignored his comment. "My Auntie Chi left me, I don't know where she is. I miss her smile and her freshly baked cookies. I'm not allowed to see Big Sis and Mother is always with Father. I don't even know them. Cousin Neji, does that make me lonely? I feel like there's no one who's there for me."

The boy looked at her now tear-streaked face, something akin of pity shown on his face.

She looked up though and put a smile on her face. "Cousin Neji, can I be lonely with you?"

The brunette looked at the small navy headed girl. Was she asking to be friends? Was that her own way of telling him she would be there for him?

"It's up to you." he looked away, trying not to look pleased. He was, after all, a Hyuga and Hyuga's didn't give into thing easily.

A small giggle came from the girl as she wiped her tears and continued watching the boy.

The both of them hardly knew that as time continued, their bond would grow stronger.

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><p>Later that night, after supper with Neji and her Uncle, Kagome was taken to bed.<p>

As she got ready to sleep, a knock on her door was heard and the door was open. There, standing in the doorway was Hizashi.

Kagome sat up in her bad, resting her back on the headboard. She smiled and rubbed at her eyes while saying, "Hello Uncle Hizashi."

"Good evening Kagome." he answered, coming into her room further. "I am here to explain to you, what that crescent moon on your forehead means."

The small and pudgy fingers of the girl came up to rest on the crescent moon underneath her bangs. She nodded for him to continue. When he just stood there awkwardly, she patted the bed for him to sit.

He stared at the girl for a couple moments before walking over and taking a seat on the white blanket.

Hizashi looked at his niece, the cute little girl with chubby cheeks and puffy navy hair. He couldn't believe such an innocent Hyuga lived. What he couldn't believe even more was the fact that this little girl was the holder of one of the oldest seals known to ninja kind.

"Kagome, your mark is not the same as the others, you know this correct?" he asked and got a nod in return. "That is because you have been gifted with an ancient protection seal that the Hyuga's haven't seen in the past five decades."

"Protection seal?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, it is a seal that is put in the place of the caged bird curse mark. It protects those who use it's power correctly." he informed her. "No one truly understands why and how it chooses it's owner, but we know that it can only exist on one person. When that person passes away, it chooses it's next holder."

Kagome nodded, a little confused. She didn't understand what he was trying to tell her. She was special? Was it good or bad? She was guessing it was good.

"The clan thought that it had vanished fifty years ago when Hiori Hyuga passed away. She was your great-great-grandmother." he told her. She understood that part.

"What does this mean though, Uncle Hizashi?" she was worried it would effect her ninja training, maybe even the way she lived then.

"The power you hold is great, I have no clue as to how to control it, but you will learn along the way. From now on I will be training you along with Neji in the way of the Gentle Fist. I will show you all the techniques I know." Hizashi petted her head. "Your father may only want power, but just know that I will be here for you."

With that the man got up, said his good night and left the room so she could sleep.

Back in her room Kagome laid down, going through the information in her head.

_I'm different then everyone else. I have some weird power that I don't know how to use. Uncle is going to be teaching me with Cousin Neji. _The girl didn't know that she was supposed to take the information seriously and just went away with hoping that her ninja abilitys would be good enough for Hizashi to raise her.

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><p>Over the next couple of months, Neji and Kagome were trained by her Uncle.<p>

Each day she improved further, learned more, got better and both males watched her do so. Without either of them knowing though, they each grew closer and closer to the girl.

Kagome and Neji would spar together, spending hours and hours working together to perfect moves. Neji would most often then not have to help the smaller girl with trivial things like her stance and her hand placements. He knew she was not the best, but she was doing very well.

When they weren't training, Kagome would drag him into the small garden to play. Feeding the koi fish, playing with bugs, watching the clouds and the occasional times when Kagome would braid Neji's hair, sticking a few flowers into it as she went along.

Hizashi on the other hand, watched as his son grew along with the niece he thought of as his own. They were the two only people he would open up around, be perfectly kind too. He grew closer and closer to the innocent little girl, knowing full and well that she would some day make an excellent ninja.

Lastly, Kagome herself tried her hardest to not be a burden, always helping cook food with Hinoki or trying to cheer Hizashi and Neji up when they seemed down. She would occasionally go and see her mother and sister. She would always talk about how Neji and her would play, or how she and Hizashi shared a secret. Harumi was glad to see her youngest daughter on her way to growing up with no problems. The little girl even seemed to cheer up Hinata when she was around her. She would always give her hugs whenever she saw her. Once she had even baked a cinnamon role especially for her twin.

Once, when Kagome had visited her mother, she had told her she was going to be having a baby brother or sister. Kagome really hadn't known what to think about that. She knew that she was excited, that was for sure.

Everything seemed calm, just for a while. That was until the day the Hokage and Raikage from the Lightning country made a treaty.

It all happened during the festival...


	4. The Festival

**Yaay, fourth chapter ;] Also, I'm keeping up with the "4,000 words" thing ;] I am quite pleased with this chapter... Though it was a little rushed xD**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha, just saying...**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four:<strong>

Being a Hyuga meant that they would be honored guests to the festival and all honored guests had to look presentable. So the night of the festival Harumi brought both of her daughters to the Hyuga seamstress to get new yukata's. Just because Kagome was not part of the Branch House didn't mean her mother couldn't treat her to things every once and a while.

After taking measurements and getting the correct colored fabrics, the woman set to work. While that happened, both Kagome and Hinata had their hair and make-up done.

Hinata's hair which was getting a little longer was cut back to its short style, butterfly hair pins to clip back her side bangs. Her make-up was of light purples and whites. The make-up artist also put a blush on her cheeks that made them rosier then they already were.

Kagome on the other hand had her hair hair trimmed at the bottom and had the bangs pulled out of her face with a black headband that had small black pearls on it. The hair style showed off the crescent moon on her forehead perfectly. Her make-up consisted of blacks, blues and silvers. She had paint over her eyelashes to work as eye liner. her lips painted a soft peach.

Harumi enjoyed the girls giggling as they looked into the mirrors. Kagome would compliment Hinata on how pretty she looked and Hinata would stutter back a response. It was cute the way they talked and unlike Hiashi, Harumi wanted her children to see each other, be near each other, to actually talk to eachother.

The older woman herself had her long straight hair put up in a bun, having her side bangs curled. The hairstylists didn't have to worry about her front bangs, for she didn't really have any. She was dressed in an old Yukata that had never been worn when she had been pregnant with Hinata and Kagome. It fit her well too, if not a little loose. It was a light blue with darker blue stars and waves. The obi around her waist was a light peach that pulled the look together.

By the time the girls had their make-up and hair finished, the seamstress was ready for them to put on their yukatas.

Harumi helped each of her girls into the light cotton dresses and did up their obi's like a professional. Though it had been a little harder with Kagome's squirming. Hinata had tried to stay calm, but she knew being around her younger sister always made her more giddy then ever.

The two girls ran to the mirror when they were done, looking at themselves.

"Wow!" Kagome yelled with a clap from her hands. "Hinata-nee you look so beautiful. Like a princess!"

Hinata was dressed in a deep violet yukata that had orange and yellow butterflys dancing around on it. Her obi was a nice yellow and in her hand was a small change bag, the same color of violet as the yukata.

"N-No little sister, y-you look like a silver f-fairy." Hinata stuttered, also smiling at Kagome.

The youngest of them all was wearing a black yukata with white lillys all over it. Her obi was a night blue and in her hand was a black silk change purse.

Kagome giggled when their mother came over and placed a kiss on each of their foreheads. "You both look lovely!"

"Mama, what do we do in festivals?" Kagome asked, never having been to one before.

"Well dear, we walk around and talk to people. We can also play games and eat food that Hyuga's never eat." she poked her nose.

"F-Food Hyuga's n-never e-eat?" Hinata asked.

"It's one of the many rare things out there... It's called _Junk Food_." she tried not to laugh at the wonder that gleamed in the girls eyes.

"Mama, isn't Junk bad... Why would we want bad food?" Kagome looked confused.

"It's only bad if you eat too much of it, I assure you that it tastes wonderful!" Harumi finally gave in and giggled.

The two girls took their mothers hands and were led off to put on their wooden sandals.

The two girls continued holding their mothers hands until they were in the middle of a crowded street. They had been told that their father would meet up with them later, and that was when Kagome would go home to Neji and Hizashi. Kagome didn't worry about that though, she was too busy looking around to remember that she only had a small amount of time.

Everywhere there was people, all in fancy outfits or in special yukatas and kimonos. Some girls and men were talking more than others, their hands were touching each other, which was odd to Kagome. She just ignored it and look over at one side of the street. There were booths everywhere, selling food or their own items. Bubbles were floating in the sky, never seeming to pop. On the other side of the street was more booths that held more food and this time, games.

"Mama, can we play games?" Kagome looked up to her mother and pleaded, she wanted to win Hinata and Neji some toys!

"Of course, what game would you like to play?" Harumi asked and looked at her daughter scoping out the good games.

Kagome looked over to her sister admiring a stuffed animal of a bunny over at a cork shooting game. "That one!" Kagome pointed.

Harumi nodded with a laugh. She knew what Kagome was doing and it was very sweet of her.

They walked up to the booth and the young woman in charge gave them a smile.

"How are you today?" she asked.

"We are doing well, thank you. How are you?" Harumi, being the polite woman she was, answered back.

"Well, business is booming, so things are very good here." she replied. She then kneeled down to the twins, Hinata instantly shying behind their mother. "How can I help you tonight young lady?"

"I want to win Hinata-nee the bunny!" Kagome pointed to the big, white, fluffy bunny.

"Alright." the owner laughed. "It's a dollar for each cork you shoot."

Kagome opened up her coin purse and fetched out three of the coins. She handed them to the lady and waited for her to come back and hand her the cork gun and three corks.

"Alright, to win the bunny, all you will have to do is knock over the bunny picture on this spinning table." the woman pointed to a small bunny photo what was on one of the spinning tables. Kagome had practiced with her aim and she was pretty good. She just hoped to be able to do it.

The nice lady showed her how to use the gun and informed her that using any jutsu was prohibited. Not like Kagome wanted to cheat anyways.

On Kagome's first try she blindly shot at the table, managing to knock off a picture of a tiger.

"Oops." She giggled.

The lady reached under the counter and handed Kagome a tiger mask. Kagome leaned her head to the side to look at it. Hinata would not look good in it. She just needed to get that bunny.

"I will try harder!" she told herself, making the adults giggle and her twin looking at her in wonder.

The second shot, Kagome leaned on the counter, as hard as a rock. Concentrating too hard made her miss all together, which hyped up her frustration.

Suddenly, a hand was on her arm. Kagome looked back to see her shy older sister standing there looking at her with what seemed like all the care in the world.

"Y-You can do it!" she told her little sister.

Kagome nodded, smiled and relaxed. Turning back to the booth.

The last shot was when Kagome truly tried her best. To her this wasn't _just _a game. It meant the world to her, she really had to win Hinata-nee something! She sighed, leaned forward, checked her shot and waited for the bunny picture to come back around. When she saw it coming she almost panicked, shooting a second or so too early and then... The sound of a cork hitting a paper!

Kagome looked to see she had knocked over the paper she had been wanting so badly to shoot.

"YAY!" She yelled, hopping up and down on her wooden sandals. Harumi, the owner and even Hinata giggled at the sight of the girl.

The woman reached under the counter and grabbed the bunny, handing it to Kagome. Said girl walked over to Hinata and handed her the plush animal. Hinata in turn shyly gave her younger sister a hug, one that Harumi openly squealed at.

The rest of that night Hinata, Kagome and Harumi held hands, talking to random shop owners, trying their first _Junk food_ (Kagome getting a sugar high off the cotton candy), and playing more games. After a few more hours, the women walked back to the compound, dropping Kagome off with Hizashi and continuing on to meet Hiashi.

Kagome didn't mind much. She knew her father didn't want her very much. Besides, she was having too much fun with Hizashi and Neji!

Later that night when Kagome had washed up and put away the yukata in exchange for a nightgown, she and Neji sat under the stars in the garden.

"Neji-nii, does the curse mark hurt?" Kagome asked, staring up at the little silver dots in the night's sky.

"Some times." was his simple answer.

"And other times?" the girl pressed.

"Other times... It can hurt quite a bit." he looked over to see Kagome's own worried face. He sat his small hand on her head. This was the girl he saw as a sister, the girl who knew him inside and out... This was the girl whom he would protect, ancient Hyuga seal or not. "It's fine, nothing to worry about."

"If you say so..." the navy-haired girl looked back to the sky.

The silence ensued until the little girl finally remembered something.

"Oh! Neji-nii, I got you something at the carnival!" she smiled, remembering the item she had hidden behind her back until he was looking away. She had successfully hid it in a rose bush. "Close your eyes!"

The boy stared at his cousin before closing his eyes. He felt hands around his own and almost laughed when they were placed over his eyes.

"Just in case!" Kagome giggled.

Neji could hear the soft padding of feet on the ground and the sway of the grass. He then listened as the sound of leaves rustled, and the foot echos came back closer.

"You can open your eyes now!" the excited voice came.

When the brunette opened his eyes he was shocked.

In front of him was Kagome, wearing a tiger mask. It was a full faces mask like an ANBU's, but instead of being white with red markings the colors consisted of oranges, yellows and black. Two holes were cut out for eyes and through them he could see the brilliant lavender of Kagome's eyes.

"Do you like it?" she asked, scooting closer and taking it off to hand it to him. She scratched the back of her neck once he grabbed it. "I was trying to win a bunny for Hinata-nee, but also won this one... I thought you would like it. Your like a tiger too! It fits!"

"It's the thought that counts." the small Hyuga boy looked down at the odd looking mask, but to be honest, he had never been more touched in his life. Not once had he received such a gift. Yes, for his birthday and Christmas he would receive small things like scrolls or new kunai for the academy. This though... You could tell Kagome had put thought into it. She could have obviously thrown the mask away or even kept it herself but... She had chosen to give it to him. At that point in time, that was all that mattered to Neji.

His cousin gave him another smile and flopped back onto the grass, totally ignoring the fact that she was wearing a nightgown with only underwear underneath.

Neji let himself slip a few laughs as he was pulled down beside her.

Hyuga men were supposed to be strong, they kept balance among others. They were able to protect all of the clan, being skilled with weapons and gentle fist. Hyuga men were like Hiashi: always standing tall, always stoic. Neji had followed what his father had told him about surviving as a Hyuga. _Son, behave yourself, keep up in your studies, train your hardest and one day you will be worthy of calling yourself a Hyuga._ Is what he had said. Neji had done as he was told. He behaved perfectly, not one complaint had been made towards him. He had kept studying until he knew all of the material thrown at him. Lastly, he had trained his hardest every chance he got, working alone or with his father. He had been stoic, he had been tough and he always stood tall. Neji had been the perfect Hyuga boy.

That was until the five year old girl beside him showed up.

Hyuga woman were supposed to be calm, they made everything even amongst the clan. They were able to be as graceful as possible, and skilled in the art of ninja training. Hyuga women were like Harumi: always elegant, always delicate. Neji remembered what his father had told him about the clans women. _When you are older, the correct woman for you will show up. She will be a lady amongst all others, a true Hyuga._ Is what he had explained. Looking over to the girl besides him who was now looking at a cricket not too far away, he wasn't sure if Kagome really _fit_ as a Hyuga. She was always ecstatic and happy, a whirlwind of joy and activeness. She was as clumsy as possible, always fumbling or tripping over the smallest of objects, though she did have her moments of grace. She wore clothes that were more suited of a male than a female. Lastly, this girl was the least delicate of any flowers, always staying as tough as nails. Kagome was not a typical Hyuga girl.

Thinking about it to himself, he didn't know what he would have done without Kagome.

He was always so much calmer around her, never having to keep up a facade. The stress of being a prodigy was eased away by seeing Kagome doing well also. Her clumsyness caused him great joy, silently chuckling as she would be blown around by the wind. Though Kagome was not a delicate flower, more of a weed... She was the most beautiful of weeds he had ever seen.

On that night, Neji pledged to protect that weed until the right boy came along to pick it and take it home forever. Little did he know what he was getting into.

"Look!" Kagome almost screamed in delight as loud banging noises were heard and fireworks appeared in the sky. "Their so beautiful!"

Neji smirked, watching the girl get up and dance around the small garden. Yes, this was one of Kagome's more graceful moments.

When all the children had gone to bed, the adults were ready to rest.

Hiashi Hyuga though, was up and about. It was his duty to protect the clan and so, before he went to bed each night he would take two quick walks around his compound.

That night, searching for threats had gone a little differently.

First, he had done his walk around the main house, the branch house, the shrine and the other smaller buildings, finding no trouble at all. He then continued on his second round of patrol. This time he started with the branch house, then to the shrine, the other small buildings and finally to the main house. Just as he was about to return inside to his pregnant and sleeping wife, he heard a noise and not just _any_ noise. It was the noice of a small girls muffled cry's.

He quickly activated his Byakugan, searching around for the cause of the noise only to spot _his_ own daughter, Hinata Hyuga, being kidnapped by another ninja.

Checking the other ninja out, Hiashi was enraged with what he found.

The male wore clothes of a foreign country, far from Konoha. Where as Konoha's clothes were made for heat and spring temperatures, these clothes were more for the rain and fall weather. On the male ninja's head sat a perfectly clean forehead protector, in which had his villages sign. Three circles, two interlocking, formed two puddles. The official forehead protector sign for Kumogakure, the very village Konohagakure had signed a treaty with that very afternoon.

Knowing that the ninja was going after a Hyuga only made things more obvious. Kumogakure had lured Konoha into a trap. A trap to steal the Hyuga's bloodline limit. They had declared war against Konoha for a variety of reasons, and carefully planned, using the war as a prop. The Third Raikage had offered a deal to the Third Hokage, sign the peace treaty and the fighting would end. To think Konoha had been so blindsided.

Later in the night, when everyone was sleeping, they would move in on their target, the Hyuga eyes. Knowing Kumo, they had searched through countless files to find a child weak enough, but who also had the potential of the Byakugan, to kidnap away for testing. But to use the head of the Hyuga clans very own daughter was pushing their plan too far.

Hiashi teleported behind the ninja, making a quick jab full with chakra straight to his hearts tenketsu, immediately stopping his life. Before the man hit the ground, Hinata was in Hiashi's arms.

The clan head had shouted out for guards, who had came as quickly as possible and soon enough most of the clans officials were out on the grounds.

The very same night, after Harumi had put Hinata back to sleep, Hiashi had taken the mans body and confronted the Third Hokage. He had told him the story of how he was on patrol and how he had come to spot the man. The Hyuga Clan Head also informed him on his hypothesis of why the ninja would have been kidnapping a Hyuga in the first place.

He had listened and took everything into consideration. Also calling upon the Third Raikage, telling him the story.

The Raikage had been outraged. Mad that the Hyuga man had 'lied', mad that his head ninja was killed but more so that the head ninja had _failed_. He had denied all accusations made by the Hyuga clan, making up lies and story's, other possibility of how his own main ninja had gotten to the Hyuga compound.

The man had also demanded some form of compensation for the death of his own head ninja. His brilliant idea was executing Hiashi Hyuga for killing the man.

_Why not the life of the man that killed my own?_ He had thought.

It had been settled then, with as much denile from the Third Hokage's part, Hiashi Hyuga was to be executed in the next two days.

He had came home that night, stoic as ever, only his own twin brother knowing somthing was wrong. After explaining to him that he was to die at the hands of a Kumo ninja, Hizashi stepped forward like the good little brother he was.

"Hiashi, I will fill in for you. I myself shall die in your place." he told him, his voice reeking of honesty.

"Brother, I would never make you do such a thing." Hiashi frowned. "What about Neji and... Kagome?"

"Neji and Kagome are both strong, your daughter more so than you think. Plus, they have each other." Hizashi had a faint smile on his lips. He had seen the way those two had acted around each other, more like siblings than cousins.

"Hizashi, you can't possibly-" he was suddenly stopped by a hand coming into contact with his heart, numbing chakra zooming through his body. He merely slumped to the wall.

"This is not up to you brother. This is not for the Hyuga Clan either, this is for you, to save your life. I shall do this to prevent more war and lastly, for once I shall choose my destiny." he gave his brother a dead serious look. "Think of it this way brother, the Kumo-nin would not stop, they would continue to try and get your Byakugan so, If I were to die, the caged bird seal would keep the secrets safe within the clan."

With that he walked off, leaving his paralyzed brother leading on the wall.

"The decision is made."

The next day, and last day, Hizashi spent with Neji and Kagome. He taught them all he had left, giving them actual _smiles_ when they got something right. He allowed them to play with the koi, sitting by and watching them.

The two children were shocked by such a display, but both shone in the approval.

Later that night, he had tucked Neji in and stopped by Kagome's room. He knocked quietly and walked in as usual. The girl was in her usual spot, laying in bed with her stuffed bluebird.

She immediately sat up, patting the bed like she always did when he came in. It was rare, but it had happened of the months they had known each other.

He walked over and took a seat on the bed, looking at his brothers youngest child. He smiled, leaned over and set his hand on her head.

"You make me proud to be your uncle." he said, making the small girl tilt her head in confusion. "Kagome, please be strong... If not for me, for Neji."

And just like that, he walked out of the room and walked to his bed, laying down and having one final dream before his eternal rest.

At first, Kagome had been confused.

_Kagome, please be strong... If not for me, for Neji._

What had it meant? Why did she have to be strong for Neji when it was clear he was stronger than her already?

She had gone to sleep confused that night, holding Sango the blue bird.

The next day though, she had been shaken to the core. Her mother had come to her, telling her that her uncle Hizashi... Had been executed for her own father. When Kagome asked why, her mother had only told her that it had been up to the clan's officials, because in truth, that's what she had been told.

Kagome had rushed around the compound, trying to find Neji, finally understanding. She had searched for hours, not able to find him at all. She ended up in the middle of a training field, crying her heart out.

Not only had the man that had become more of a father figure than an uncle to her had passed away, but also because she couldn't keep the promise. She _couldn't_ stay strong when she couldn't find Neji, she _couldn't_ stay strong when he wasn't there. For his sake though... She would _try_ with _all_ of her heart.

When she had found Neji, he was in the garden, sitting by the koi pond. All she could do was sit with him, clinging to him as he wept, allowing him to cling back to her.

A week passed like that, Neji only keeping to himself and allowing Kagome to talk to him, to comfort him. They had both attended the funeral, standing in the front row. They had clutched each others hands, crying silently to themselves. They had stayed long after too, watching as rain poured down on them, as Hizashi was buried in the Hyuga Graveyard. They stayed, each placing a flower on his grave afterwords.

Neji placed one single and small, Forget-Me-Not on his grave for he would never forget his father.

Kagome leaned down and placed a single Apple Blossom by Neji's flower. Her flowers one and only meaning coming forth and connecting to the last words he had shared with her: "Promise".


	5. The Hyuga Bloodlines

**Boo, shortest chapter so far D: This was sort of a chapter to fill in a bit of gaps. Next chapter deffinitley has the introduction of Sasuke Uchiha, be excited :]**

**Apparently, when I was editing the previous chapter I uploaded number three again. Lol. Sorry for any confusion, but I have fixed everything. **

**ALSO, NOTE: It is actually a fact that Hinata`s mother does not die during child birth. If you want proof, I shall give you some. I was actually thinking about making her die but decided that she will come in handy for Kagome in later chapters :D**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto or Inuyasha. No no no. :P**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five:<strong>

The month of March held quite a bit of surprises.

Harumi, having been pregnant before Kagome had even returned with Haichi, had her child in March. March 27th to be exact.

Kagome had been excited to meet the baby, but had not been allowed at first because she was of the Branch House. After a couple days, Harumi had gotten permission for her daughter to come in and meet her sibling.

Kagome had came into the healing room of the Hyuga's Main House. She walked up to the bed where her mother was laying, holding a bundle in her arms. The girl had taken the chair next to her mothers bed and sat down.

"Hello Kagome." her mother smiled at her.

"Good morning Mama." Kagome had smiled back.

"This is your new little sister, Hanabi." the woman leaned over to her middle child and showed her the baby.

Kagome, who had so rarely seen baby's, was in shock. It was so cute! It had puffy little cheeks and the smallest little hands. Hanabi had her piercing white eyes open, staring at Kagome. The youngest girl kept blinking, taking in the bigger body. Her face then scrunched up, leaving a cute little expression that Kagome giggled at. The baby also had a tuft of brown hair on her head, their fathers color.

"Mama, shes really cute." Kagome said in awe.

"Would you like to hold her?" Harumi looked at her child, trusting that Kagome would hold Hanabi safely.

"Really? I can?" Kagome had just assumed she came in for a look and that her Father would never let her hold such a fragile part of the family.

"Of course." the Mother of three sat up in her bed, leaning over and setting Hanabi in Kagome's awaiting arms, making sure she was in the right position brfore laying back down. "Make sure you support her head, dear."

Kagome cooed to the child, telling her it would be so strong one day, that it would be so beautiful because she was already so cute. It truly was a scene to take in and for the oversensitive Mother, she had tears of joy in her eyes while watching.

Behind them, the door creaked open, revealing half of a familiar face.

"Hinata-nee!" Kagome called. "Little sister is so cute..."

Hinata, who had been waved in by their mother, came in silently. She walked over to the chair Kagome was in and got up on it as well for Kagome had scooted over on the large seat. All of the older females then sat quietly, looking at the newest Hyuga. They watched as she blinked, as she squirmed and as she played with her fingers.

Harumi than gave Hinata a turn with holding the child. Hinata being the more careful twin, held her second little sister gently, not too close and not too far.

"Oh!" Hinata whispered, looking down as the baby grabbed onto her longer side bang, pulling lightly. Harumi and Kagome both giggled.

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><p>March was also the month in which Neji had activated his Byakugan.<p>

Around a month after Hizashi's death, Neji was back to normal with Kagome. He seemed distant to all others and had seemed to grow a hatred for her twin, which she didn't approve of but, it wasn't up to her whom he disliked. Things fell back into place between them, even if something or really, _someone _was missing.

The six year old male and the five year old female were both in the Dojo, practicing their Gentle fist. Every once and a while they would stop for a break, grabbing some water and sitting for a bit. They were never doing nothing though. As they sat they ran through several hand signs. When Neji and Kagome came to the Byakugans hand signs, they did the sequence quickly.

While nothing happened to Kagome, she heard somthing to the side of her.

Looking over, she could literally see the veins popping out around Neji's eyes.

"N-Neji-nii! The Byakugan!" she yelled.

He looked over to her, only to not stop looking at the wall he had been concentrating on. In fact, he could see everywhere... All around him was clear, except one small dot, where he could not see at all. Kagome herself wasn't skin and flesh... He could only see her chakra coils and tenketsu. It was odd though, weren't chakra coils supposed to be smaller than that? Why did Kagome have two sets of them? One blue and another... Silver? Looking at her body he could see the charkra flowing, most of the silver chakra though was built up at the forehead and around her brain.

"You did it! You have the Byakugan!" Kagome's excited yells pulled him out of his thoughts.

Suddenly, the door slammed open revealing Hinoki. She looked flustered, hanging onto a spatula.

"What's wrong? All I heard was screaming!" she raised her spatula as if it were a sword. The woman had been quite stressed with the death of Hizashi, meaning she was to take care of the children. Kagome was well-tempered but Neji usually ignored her unless he was around the other girl.

"Look Hinoki, Neji has the Byakugan!" she clapped her hands together.

Neji was still facing Kagome but watched as his caretaker's eyes shone with glee.

"That's wonderful, I will go tell Master Hiashi right away." and just like that, the cook ran from the dojo.

Later on that night Hiashi, the elders and even some branch members had taken Neji to a training ground, all watching as he successfully activated the Byakugan for them. Kagome watched the whole thing from her bedroom window with elders whispered to eachother about the genius Hyuga boy. The Branch members cheered, knowing that they had just one upped the Main house for one of their own had been the youngest Hyuga in history to activate their Byakugan. Hiashi Hyuga looked at the boy, nodded and then walked away frustrated that Hinata was not that good.

When Neji came back inside, he was immediately ambushed by his best friend.

"Kagome?" he asked, putting a hand on her head.

"You did well!" she smiled. "To celebrate, I'm going to cook you Herring Soba, your favorite!"

Neji tilted his head. When had she figured that out?

A giggle and than she was off to the kitchen to ask Hinoki for help.

While Neji went to the Dojo to practice, the girls stayed in the kitchen, cooking the meal for the boy.

Kagome boiled the noodles and the broth while Hinoki fixed up the Herring. She made sure the noodles were the special buckwheat kind that Neji seemed to enjoy so much. She also chopped up some herbs for topping and some pickled vegetables for the side dish, all of this cutting happened in under one minute. Kagome was glad Kunai training had helped her in more ways than one.

Hinoki helped her strain the noodles over the sink when they were finished, then moving to grab three plates.

Kagome put an equal amount in two bowls and made sure there was a little extra in one. She left Hinoki to put the herbs on top and set the pickled veggies on some plates, so she could go grab Neji.

The navy haired girl walked, no... creeped, slowly to the dojo and poking her head in. Neji was meditating, his back facing her.

"Yes?" he asked and she laughed. Of course he had the Byakugan on.

She slid through the door and held up one hand, wiggling all her fingers. "How many fingers do I have up?"

"Five." he answered simply.

"Nope, four and one thumb." she giggled, running back in the hall, yelling over her shoulder, "Dinner is ready!"

Kagome set each bowl in the correct spots. Neji's spot was still in the same spot, right beside the head of the table. Kagome's spot was still right across from her and ever since Hinoki started to dine with them, she sat beside Kagome. She made sure Neji had the biggest bowl of soba and then set all the different vegetables in the middle of the three bowls.

"Dinner is served." she bowed to Neji when he entered the room. He just shook his head and continued to his spot, a small smile gracing his lips.

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><p>A few weeks after that, Neji returned to the academy, having taken a break of it from his fathers death.<p>

That left Kagome with more time on her hands.

She would visit her Mother and her two sisters more often, talking about Neji for the most of the time. She and Hinata would go sit in the Main house garden rarely, watching the clouds. The Hyuga girl also helped Hinoki with her duties more often, learning more recipes and new ways to cut with a knife. What she loved to do most of all though, was train.

Just the thought of becoming better like Neji was making her train more and more. She barely noticed when her Mother or Hinata snuck into the Branch dojo to watch her. She had gotten good at memorizing the tenketsu, she also was better with her aim because of the training time. She wasn't the best with Genjutsu, but being more skilled with Taijutsu and some Ninjutsu, it was fine. She started using small weights, adding two pounds first to get used to it and as time went on she added more weight. Kagome also practiced with her hand signs, trying to get faster.

Hinoki had to admit, the girl had quite a bit of stamina. One time, she had walked by the Dojo and heard Kagome training, only walking back past it an hour later to finally hear her collaps.

Whenever Kagome could not move, having little to no strength left, she would visit the Branch houses library to grab some books to read when resting. Every once and a while her Mother would bring her a special book from the Main houses library, telling her it was their little secret.

By the end of the day, she would always go wait at the gates for Neji to return home, even if she was exhausted. She had even fallen asleep there once, only having been brought in by the person she was waiting for.

On those nights when she wasn't tired or out of energy, she would sneak into Neji's room and listen to story's about his day and about what he learned. It interested her greatly. Kagome also knew that without herself, Neji would be lonely and she didn't want that.

On weekends, she took her time to relax and watch _him_ train. She would always make tea for them when he was done. They would occasionally go into the garden, Neji letting Kagome play with his hair. She would meditate with him or read while he did homework.

Neji was her closest and pretty much _only_ friend. Was it so bad that she spent all of her time with him? It truly took her mind off the fact that she could not leave the compound, other than the few times with her Mother and Hinata.

Kagome also took to drawing.

If she were ever sitting somewhere, having to be patient, she would pull out a little sketch book. She drew flowers, Sango the bluebird, Shippo the fox, stick figures of Neji, Hinata, Harumi, Hanabi, Hizashi, Hinoki, herself and even Haichi, whom she had yet to see. Drawing was her last resort though and she knew she really sucked at it.

Things truly had fallen back into a calm as the year continued on.

Neji and Hinata never talked anymore, as if the girl avoided him and he stayed away from her because she was 'plague'.

Hanabi took up quite a bit of Kagome and Hinata's Mother's time, but they knew it was for the good of the family.

Hiashi started to ignore both Hinata and Kagome more as time flew by, basing his interest in Hanabi. Though every once and a while when she was in a training field, Kagome could see Hiashi glaring at her from windows. She just ignored it, thinking he was just in a bad mood.

Kagome never had a normal life, she knew this even at age five. All the stuff that was going on then didn't mean much at all compared to what would be happening in the future. If only Kagome had known _that_.


	6. Yet Another December 27th

**Yaaay, one of the longest chapters! Here is the introduction of Sasuke (Finally D:). I know I was a little slow on it, but I needed to decide how to make them meet, and this all that popped into my head x] **

**ALSO! I would love to thank all of you guys for reviewing, favouriting and alerting. :D Like geez, 65 reviews, 39 faves and 72 alerts. WHOAAA! But really, thank you verrrry much :D**

**Disclaimer: Do I own Naruto and Inuyasha? -Checks- Nope, not at all. ;]**

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><p><strong>Chapter Six:<strong>

December 27th was bound to come by again as the year passed.

The though of the twins birthday left a few people excited.

Kagome was excited for the fact that it would be the first birthday she would ever share with her older sister. Also, she was very happy that with their birthday passing and them being six, they could finally enter the Ninja Academy. That meant Kagome would be able to see Neji more often. It also meant that she could practice more with people her age.

Hinata was excited as well, not so openly so but it shone in her eyes. She was happy that it would also be the first birthday she would spend with Kagome. Entering the Ninja Academy was also quite a good though for she would be able to see that interesting little boy with the blonde hair and blue eyes that she had seen sitting around there before. Lastly, getting away from the place where everyone but her mother and little sisters seemed to be shooting glares at her was a relief.

Even more excited then the two of them was Harumi, even if it wasn't _her_ birthday. Luckily, she had been able to convince Hiashi to let the twins have a party, with her planning of course. She wanted it big too, with lots of people and tons of photographers. So far she had planned for a huge feast and dancing afterwords. The woman had already invited all the Hyuga family, the Main house coming on behalf of Hinata and the Branch house coming for Kagome. Also, she had invited a few of the other richer family's to join like the Uchiha (Even if Hiashi disagreed. Harumi was friends with the Uchiha Matriarch, so why not?) and the Taishio. She had already asked for the Hyuga seamstress to make kimonos instead of yukatas this time and the woman had agreed.

While there was only one week left until their birthday, the twins were pulled around by their Mother who asked them constantly what they wanted. Kagome's answer was always, _I don't need anything, I already have everything I need. _Whenever Harumi turned to Hinata, the girl would just stutter out that she agreed with Kagome's answer. They were also dragged around, choosing flowers and trying their dresses.

The night of the party, Harumi herself did their make-up and dressed them.

Hinata wore a lovely green kimono with long sleeves. At the bottom of the dress was a white wave and all around the bottoms of the sleeves and skirt were small white flowers. You could just see the red of her under cloak coming out of the neck of the kimono. Her obi was a brighter green with a red fade coming on one side, small white flowers on it as well. The rope that held the obi together, called the obijime, was a solid red. On her feet were a pair of food sandals with green straps. Her make up was light greens and browns and her hair was normal with the exception of a lime green bow strung in her hair.

Kagome was dressed in shorter sleeved kimono that was a pretty powder blue. Decorating her kimono were white stars that were scattered around the neck, arms and skirt of it. Her black under cloak was coming out of her collar as well. The obi she had on was a silver silk with a pure and dark blur obijime over it. Her feet were in a pair of white wood sandals that had a black string. Her mother had dusted her cheeks with a white powder, making her look more white than she had been before. Other than that she had on some paint that made her eyes pop out more. Her hair that reached a little past her shoulders was left down, only her bangs were pulled out of her face and a powder blue bow was set in her hair.

"Mama, why do you always pin back my bangs?" Kagome asked when they were finished.

"The mark you hold is special, be proud of it." Harumi answered, poking her cresent moon outline.

"Proud of it." Kagome whispered to herself as she was ushered out of the changing room.

"We have waited too long, the guests are already here." She took the two girls hands.

They would be entering through the large double doors, right into the large ball room of the Hyuga's Main House. Unlike the rest of the house that was styled in anchient japanese decor, the ball room was more elegant. Long golden silk curtains, masterpieces of art on the wall and the most expensive of statues sitting in corners and such. The floor was a tile mosaic and if you were to look at it from high enough, you would see beige swirls around a white lily.

As they walked down the hall to the entrance, Kagome spotted her father with his usual stoic face.

"Ah, Hiashi dear." Harumi smiled at her husband who gave her a nod and took her arm in his.

"Are we ready?" Hiashi asked, standing behind his two daughters in his own kimono that was made of brown silk.

"Yes Father." Kagome saved Hinata from answering and took the other girls hand.

"Alright, here we go girls." their mother gave them a kind smile and nodded for the guards that were at the door to open it up. They nodded and opened the door at the same time. The once talkative crowd down the stairs was all silent as they watched the door open to reveal the family, minus Hanabi who was asleep in her crib and being watched by a trusted female guard.

There was sounds of violins and piano as they entered, something slow and fancy. It was smooth and calmed Kagome's mind. She looked down to the crowd to see many different colors. Mostly browns, whites, reds and blacks though. It was odd to her though, there were men and women there that had silver hair. Was it naturally that glossy and perfect? Also, why was it all so long? All this yumbled around her mind as she made her descent down the stairs with Hinata.

Claps erupted when they reached the bottom level of the staircase.

The two girls were greeted by many people who said hello and gave them birthday wishes.

Soon enough though Kagome found herself being carted around by her mother again while Hiashi took Hinata around to talk to other people.

Harumi took her over to a group of four people, three men and one woman.

The woman was beautiful, almost as pretty as her own Mother! She had a pale yet peachy skin color. She wore a plain navy kimono with a beige obi that had little butterfly's. Her obijime was a pale blue. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, navy chopsticks making an X in the back of it. Her bangs hung down into her face, which made you look straight into her gentle black eyes. _Yes,_ Kagome though,_ Almost as pretty as Mama._

The man next to her had a long royal blue kimono with a black obi and gray obijime string. His hair was staying down as it was, parted in the middle of his forehead like the woman's. His hair only falling to the nape of his neck though. He also had the same black eyes but the emotions were different. More pride and cold emotions were shown in the depths. Lastly, under those odd eyes were stress lines, running down to half of his nose.

Another male stood beside him, this one much younger though, most likely in his teens. His hair was a black and parted like the woman and mans, this time though, the teens hair was longer and fell down his back in a ponytail. He wore a deep blood red kimono that had black writing down the sides of the collar. His obi was black like the writing but his obijime was a deep brown. His eyes seemed cold, but if you looked closely, you could see small bits of tenderness. Luckily, Kagome caught onto that emotion.

Lastly, the smallest male who was standing in front of them all and was about Kagome's age. He was only a fair bit taller than her own height. His hair was the same raven as the others, having been parted like the rest as well. He wore a black haori and hakama with a gray under cloak. Being a kid meant you would move around a lot more and being in a kimono just wasn't right for the boy. Surprisingly, Kagome could read these eyes better than any of the other males. Inside you could see the kindness and care for the ones close to him, but also deep inside was a burning jealousy.

"Ah, hello Harumi. How are you this fine night?" the woman asked.

"I am doing great, thank you. How are you?" Harumi asked back.

"I'm doing as well as I can in a house full of men." The woman chuckled, then noticing Kagome down at the Hyuga woman's side. "Oh my, how rude of me to not see the birthday girl!"

"Hi!" Kagome smiled and bowed. "I'm Kagome."

The woman chuckled again and bowed herself. "I am Mikoto Uchiha, nice to meet you. This is my husband Fugaku and our two sons, Itachi being the eldest and Sasuke being our youngest."

Kagome smiled and bowed to the men. "Nice to meet you."

"Sasuke, Kagome, Why don't you two go wander while we talk?" Harumi suggested.

"What an excellent idea!" Mikoto added.

Kagome looked at her Mother for a minute, smiled and then nodded. She asked for Sasuke to follow her and the two walked through the crowd to a balcony. They sat down on a couch. Kagome instantly turned to him and held out a hand.

"Hello, my name is Kagome Hyuga." she smiled brightly.

Sasuke stared at her for a couple seconds before saying, "I know that, you said it a while ago."

"Yes, but I said it to your Mother. I didn't really say it to _you_ which was rude of me." she shook her head, hand still up and waiting.

"Hn, My names Sasuke Uchiha." he chuckled lightly. What an interesting girl.

They sat in silence for a while before Kagome pointed up at the sky to the moon.

"I think I like the moon more than the sun." she said out of no where.

He looked at her. "Why is that?"

"Well, in the moon light, every thing is so much more beautiful. I mean, the way that it shines on the surface of water makes it look sparkly and bright! Also, in the night, fire flies can come out and show their glow. In the sun, they just look like normal bugs." her legs that didn't touch the ground, swung back and forth over the couch. "Owls also live under the moon. They make those interesting 'Whoo Whoo' noices."

Sasuke watched the girl staring up at the full moon, her eyes glowing brightly in the moonlight.

She turned her head to him, smiling. Kagome then pointed to her forehead, right in the middle of the crescent moon.

"This is a moon too. Mama says I should be proud of it and that it's a good thing. I just think it's weird, but Hinata-nee once told me I looked pretty with it!" she giggled.

_Pretty?_ Sasuke though while looking the girl over. She had big lavender eyes with tiny specs of cobalt blue. Her unusual navy hair grazed her shoulders in the night wind. Her body was pretty slim and if you looked closely, you could see her arms and legs starting to show muscle from her training. She also had a very pretty smile with pearly white teeth. Sasuke had to admit, she _was_ pretty but for a boy his age to like someone... He thought it wasn't right. Girls were supposed to be icky. This one didn't seem so bad. She wasn't attacking him and asking him to give her kisses like all the other icky girls did. Her voice was softer and not high pitched like the other icky girls. She didn't seem as emotional as all the other icky girls were.

He decided right then and there, after only just meeting her... That Kagome wasn't and icky girl.

"Sasuke, are you going to be a ninja when you grow up?" was the question that broke him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah." he answered. "Itachi-nii tells me I am going to be one of the best!"

"Really?" she asked amazed. "Yeah, he did look really strong, he would know!"

"Yes, I am going to be one of the best ninja out there. I will fight all the bad guys and get a lot of people to be happy!' the six year old Sasuke smiled.

"Wow, that sounds fun! I'm going to be a ninja too! Do you think we could work together some time?" she asked with pleading eyes.

"Well I guess so. As long as you don't drag me down!" he told her sternly, like it was one of the most important things in the world.

"I won't, I will train harder for now own!" Kagome raised one hand though, pinky sticking out. "Promise me that we can be friends?"

Should he be her friend? She seemed okay, and she wasn't weak. Itachi-nii only had one or two friends, while he had none. If he wanted to be like Itachi-nii, he had to have friends then. Why not her then?

He linked pinkies with her, saying "Yeah!"

The two of them smiled and laughed.

They barely knew that as they continued this relationship, they would become best friends sometime down the line.

"Ah, there you two are!" Harumi came out onto the balcony, Mikoto following after her.

"We have been looking for you two for ten minutes!" Mikoto chuckled. "We are all heading in for our food now."

"Oh, I am sorry." Kagome got up and bowed, running over to Harumi to take her hand.

Sasuke too, got up and walked over to his mother to take her hand.

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><p>They sat around a huge table that sat up to a hundred people almost. The chairs were large with high backs, which made the room look even more formal.<p>

In front of them was large golden plates with food piled on food. Thinking about some of it just made Kagome's stomach growl.

At the head of the table was Hiashi himself, next to him on his right was Harumi, on his left was Hinata. Kagome sat beside Harumi and at her other side was a Hyuga she couldn't recognize. At the other end of the table was Fugaku, at his right was Mikoto and his other side was filled by Itachi. Sasuke sat next to his mother and another Uchiha Kagome had never met, beside him. In between the two sides were a series of Hyugas, Uchihas and the silver haired people.

No one seemed to make a move for their food, all waiting for something. Kagome looked around, trying to find out what that something was, noticing that almost all eyes were on her Father.

_They must be waiting for him to say something... What was it I read in an etiquette book? Oh right, a toast! _Kagome shook her head, remembering how she thought a toast meant handing out sliced of crispy bread to everyone at the table. _Father doesn't look like he's going to do it though... I don't want all these people to starve..._

Without further thought, Kagome grabbed her cup and a fork. She stood on her chair and clanged the two together lightly. That drew _all_ attention to her.

"Well, Hello! My name is Kagome Hyuga, and it's me and my sister's birthday." she looked around nervously. "I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight. I hope you all have fun... And I hope you all enjoy our food!"

All was silent for a momment before Harumi stood from her seat, raising her champagne glass and calling "Cheers!"

Immediately after, Mikoto stood and called cheers, followed by Sasuke and Itachi. The rest of the table stood, calling cheers. Lastly, Fugaku Uchiha stood and said his own cheers.

Everyone looked down to Hiashi, who sat there stone faced. Slowly, his chair moved back letting himself raise his body and then grab his glass. "Cheers." he nodded to the crowd. The people standing around the table all had small smiles or looks of respect as they sat down and began to eat their food.

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><p>After that, Kagome and Hinata opened the presents from each family.<p>

From the Tashio's (the silver haired men and women), Kagome received a specially made Kimono made of silver silk, a plain black obi and a black crescent moon outline on the back. Hinata received a pair of expensive silver glass earrings in the shape of roses.

From the Uchiha's, Hinata and Kagome had each gotten Japanese silk fans, Hinata's being purple with a colorful peacock and Kagome's being silver with a red dragon on it.

From the Hyuga's, They had both received paper umbrella's. One purple with blue swirls on it and the other Blue with purple swirls on it.

Lastly, specifically from their Mother, Father and little sister, Hinata got a new tea set for she had taken up the hobby of tea making. Kagome opened up her gift to find brand new Gentle fist scrolls she could use for training.

After saying thanks to everyone, they all headed back into the ball room for dancing.

The night came to an end with Sasuke and Kagome back on the balcony explaining what kind of Ninja missions they wanted to get. Hinata with her mother dancing around her and brightening the mood. Itachi was leaning off to the side, watching as his little brother talked to the youngest birthday girl. Mikoto had gotten Fugaku to give her a dance, afterwords they had headed to talk to others. Hiashi had also stopped frowning to talk to a few of the other clan heads.

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><p>Two weeks after their birthday, six year old's Kagome Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga were entered in their first year of the Academy.<p>

Sadly, they were split into two separate classes that year. Hinata was in a class with the blonde haired boy though, which made things better. Kagome herself was in Sasuke's class, sitting beside the Uchiha while other girls glared.

Kagome found out on the first day of school though, that she absolutely _hated_ math class. It didn't make sense! When would you ever have to know angles? To figure out how to shoot, they say? Kagome just aimed and it was fine for her that way! She almost always got the target anyways... So why would it matter? Yes, Math was useless to her.

The teachers complimented her on her Taijutsu though. It was good to be from a Taijutsu based family every once and a while, even if it had it's downsides. Down sides like Genjutsu, something Kagome could barely master. She tried her hardest though, always staying strong like everyone told her to do.

Her teacher always separated them for half the day too, the boys going to do whatever it was they did and the girls going into the field to have their flower lessons.

While all of her class time was spent with Sasuke, all lunch periods she spent with Neji. Eating and talking. He would tell her about the odd boy who had no chakra to do Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, she would feel bad and Neji would tell her not to because he was weak. Even though her cousin told her not to, she couldn't help being nice to the boy whenever they saw each other in the halls.

At recess when she was split up from Neji, she would stay with either Hinata or Sasuke. Sitting in the shade, watching others play or going to other side of the school to practice and do some training.

She never really made other friends than Sasuke and Neji until one day at lunch when Neji wasn't at school and Sasuke was busy.

Kagome had walked outside with her bento box, trying to find a place to eat. She walked down the Academy's pathways into a small forest. She found a small place by some trees with a circle of light coming down, heating the ground. The navy haired girl sat down, deciding that the heat felt nice on her skin. Also, deciding that her food could wait, she laid down and tried to soak up some sun.

It seemed she had dozed off for a small bit of time and was woken when she heard a twig snap.

"Huh?" she looked up and saw a blurry figure standing in front of her. She quickly rubbed her eyes and sat up.

In front of her was a tall boy, most likely around Neji's age. He wore white hakuma and haori that had blur octagons scattered around it. in patterns. On his shoulder rested a large fluffy... Boa? Tail?... String? Kagome didn't know what it was, but she knew it looked soft. His ears were strangely pointed like an elf's, and his eyes were a beautiful gold. On his feet were a pair of small black boots. Looking up at his face was hard for the sun was in his face. From what she could see, he had two red stripe marks on either side of his cheeks and something blue on his forehead that she couldn't make out. His hair was long, down to his hips and was a beautiful silver. Wait, silver? Wasn't that the hair color of the Taisho's?

"Oh, I'm sorry! Am I in your spot?" she asked, worried.

"Hn." was all he said, walking over beside her and sitting down. "This Sesshomaru will sit where he pleases, even if there is a human there."

Sesshomaru? Was that his name?

"Well.. Hi, my names Kagome Hyuga!" she smiled.

"This Sesshomaru already knows that, for he had attended your birthday party a while ago." he opened up his boxed lunch and got his chop sticks ready. Then he slowly started to take pieces of his food and set them in his mouth.

So his name was Sesshomaru... And he was a Taisho!

"Sesshomaru Taisho... That's a nice name!" Kagome complimented, also opening her food and going ahead to eat some.

"Yes." was all he said.

For some time, they sat and just ate with no talking. Kagome was used to it because of her and Neji's silent suppers. Sesshomaru on the other hand was taking comfort in the girls presence, her aura was soft and soothing, almost asking him to sit and be with her.

Kagome was half-way finished her bento when she finally noticed what was on his forehead. A crescent moon.

"Oh wow! You have a crescent moon on your forehead too?" she asked and when he just cocked an eyebrow, she lifted up her bangs to show him her mark. "Look, I have one too! Though... Yours is blue and is filled in.. Why is that?"

"This Sesshomaru's is a birth mark that has been there since birth. Yours is a mark that has been put there I assume?" he told her.

"Oh. Well, Uncle Hizashi told me I was the only one who had it, so you must be right!" she giggled.

"Why are you not scared of this Sesshomaru?" he asked randomly, after a short quiet.

"Why would I? You seem nice!" Kagome smiled.

"Nice... Do you even know what this Sesshomaru is?" he looked at her curiously.

"Your just a boy, right? I mean, you seem like one." the Hyuga cocked her head to the side, confused.

"This Sesshomaru comes from the one and only demon clan left. The Taishio's are a clan made of dog demons that can take human form. We are vicious, we are murderers." he informed her.

"Oh." she looked like she was thinking for a few moments before laughing and saying, "So?"

_So...? I tell her I am a killer, and the whelp says 'So?'._ Sesshomaru's inner demon growled.

"I mean, that doesn't mean I should automatically hate you!" she giggled. "I think that people should be treated fairly, only changing to be rude to them if their actions aren't right. Even then, you should not be rude to people."

This girl... Deffinitley was a different one. Just like his Father had said.

"Sesshomaru, could I be your friend?" she asked.

Friend... He didn't have any of those. He didn't _need_ any, but why did thhe thought of this girl being a friend seem so appealing? Was it the strange aura, or was it the fact that she didn't fear him despite what he was?

"Hn." was all he said, which caused Kagome to giggle.

"I'll take that as a yes?" she smiled.

Later on, they headed back to class. Surprisingly, when she said her goodbye, he replied with one of his own.

That night, she returned home to tell her mother about her new friend, Sesshomaru. Luckily, Harumi knew Sesshomaru's Step Mother and scheduled a few days where she would go over to the Taishio clan compound and play with him. Well... It was more like her playing and him watching in a pleased silence.

That was the beginning of two friendships that Kagome would keep for life.

Neji, Sasuke and Sesshomaru... Her best and only friends.

She started to play with them more and more, Harumi letting Sasuke come over on weekends, Neji and her always playing at nighttime and lastly, Sesshomaru and her spending every few lucnhes together in that warm and sunny spot.

The three boys eventually met through Kagome. None of them agreed with each other, each thinking _they_ were Kagome's best friends. They didn't really know that Kagome loved them all equally.

The little Hyuga girl grew with those three boys, becoming protective of them as they became protective of her.

Sesshomaru became like an older brother, always there when she fell, picking her back up again. She was his closest friend and even if he didn't admit it, he cared for her, thinking of her as if she were in his pack.

Neji, who was also always there for her, would tuck her into bed when she was sick or watch over her when she was down. She started to keep her hair like his after a while, tying it back with a band near the tips. He was one of her role models.

Sasuke though... He wasn't like a brother. He was her best friend yes, but she couldn't find it in her to see him as a sibling. Instead, she stayed around him, watching over him to see if he was okay. He also did the same, being there for her when she got a cut in class or was being teased by other students.

Things were fine between the two, that was until the year fate decided to see if they really were meant to be friends... The year both of them would turn nine.


	7. Being An Uchiha

**Heey guys! Longest chapter, I'm excited. Even though this has a little angst D: Next chapter is the Graduation though. Also, thank you for all the support!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha, I hope you understand this by now.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven:<strong>

Sasuke Uchiha, a boy of only eight (Turning nine that year of course), considered himself lucky.

He had almost everything he wanted. He had his family, he was doing well in his ninja studies, it seemed like his father was even giving him praise but most of all, he had _her_.

Kagome Hyuga, his very... _Odd_ friend.

"Sasuke, can you touch your tongue to your elbow? I can't seem to do it!" he watched the girl as she leaned forward to her exposed elbow, tongue sticking out.

He had been visiting the Hyuga household that day, one of the days when Kagome wasn't allowed to be with Neji while he studied. A huge ninja test was coming up for those a grade higher than him and his friend. Something about class rankings, who was at the top of the class and what not.

At first he and Kagome had been playing with the crickets and running through the fields. They had found some baby squirrels that Kagome had taken an interest in watching. Sasuke had then dragged her of towards some ravens that were in trees, finding them even more interesting.

They went to train for a while, showing each other what Ninjutsu they knew. Kagome, who had found that she was elemented with Earth, worked on a few tricks to make plants move. Though she was only at moving around weeds and grass, at least she could make it do her bidding.

Sasuke on the other hand, was a natural born fire element user. Just like all the Uchiha before him, he was being taught how to do the 'Fire Release: Great FireBall Jutsu. He was frustrated that he couldn't make one as big as Itachi had, but his father had finally given him a smile the last time he did it. He had only shown Kagome the jutsu once, while she was visiting his house and he was training. The girl had been in such awe that Sasuke couldn't help but feel proud. Even if Kagome was impressed by almost anything, he wasn't going to let that get him down!

In the afternoon, Kagome had made them both some tomato soup (she knew it was one of his favorites) because their cook was out doing errands. While they were sitting, everything was quiet... Except for the sound of Kagome's slurping. She had yet to have a big enough moth to fit around the Hyuga spoons, which surprised him because the girl was pretty big mouthed.

Later on that night they watched a movie on 'TV', an extremely expensive device that would let you see a story. His Father and Mother had one somewhere inside the house, though he didn't know where. Also, he remembered Itachi telling him something about a movie theater?

By then, it was dark and Sasuke decided that he would stay a little while longer. A little while longer turned into three hours, both of them sitting in Kagome's garden.

He watched the girl trying to touch her tongue to her elbow.

"It's impossible Sasuke!" she looked at her elbow with a pout, a cute pout, not that _Sasuke_ noticed it. He was an Uchiha... Uchiha's don't find anything cute.

"You know what?" she giggled, licking her finger and touching it to her elbow. "There, I did it!"

"No you didn't! You just licked your finder and put it there!" he argued.

"But it's _my_ spit, from _my tongue._ That means I pretty much touched it!" she laughed, trying to argue back.

"You are bad at arguing your case." Sasuke pointed out.

"I know." she sighed. "I can't help it though! I just can't find it in me to lie."

"That's why everyone takes advantage of your skills." he shook his head.

"I know." she sighed again.

"Hey look Sasuke!" Kagome pointed up at the sky filled sky, specifically the large moon hovering over them. "It's a full moon, just like when we met!"

"Yeah." he looked up at the peaceful moon, a rare smile on his face.

Wait a minute! The moon? Was it really that late? His mother had told him she was going to be making a special homemade tomato dish that night, just for him! Did he miss it? Would his Mother be mad? He had to get going!

"Kagome, I need to go. I really didn't think it was this late." he told her, standing.

"Oh!" she also stood, giving him a hug. "Night then!"

He returned the hug softly and was then off running through the Hyuga compound and onto the street. Luckily, the Uchiha compound wasn't that far away from the Hyuga compound. It took him a while but he got to his home safely. Something wasn't right though...

Everything was silent and not the calm sort of silence he and Kagome usually shared, but more af a... Eerie silence. To Sasuke, there seemed to be no life around, little did he know how right that thought was.

He paused in his running, thinking he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Just for a moment, he had thought he saw a person crouched low on the telephone pole a little bit in front of him. Sasuke just thought that it could have been a trick of the eye, even if the dark splotch he saw _was_ something, it was gone now. No worries, right? Of course not, now was the time to go find his family.

"Mother? Father? Itachi!" he yelled as he ran around a corner, only to come to a complete stop. Frozen.

Kunai and Shuriken were hanging out of walls, stuck to the roofs. The paper lanterns that his mother had taken a liking too had been slashed and ripped open. Large cracks in the street were formed, but it was something else that made Sasuke want to scream... Blood, and lots of it. Dripping down walls, spewed onto the sides of buildings. Not only that but laying in the middle of the street were... Bodies. Bodies of people he could recognize too, all of them Uchiha.

"What is this!" he whispered harshly. "What is going on?"

He continued to run, faster with time, until his legs wouldn't stop burning. He made through the streets that were littered with bodies. He froze again as he sharply turned another corner. Right there in front of him were two of his favorite people in the world.

"Uncle, Auntie!" he gasped, staggering back a few steps.

He had just talked to them that morning before he went to see Kagome. How was any of this possible?

"F-Father, Mother!" he than yelled out, running toward the compounds largest home in which he lived. He opened the door to come face to face with darkness. Nothing there at all. He gulped, walking in and taking off his shoes. "Mother, Father... Are you guys home?"

He sat the mad he had been carrying down, moving onwards through the house. The kitchen was empty, their bedroom was empty and even the lounge room was empty. He was about to yell for them again until he heard a couple of loud thuds coming from down the hallway. He ran straight for it, tripping over his feet in nervousness. He got back up and came to stand in front of the large wooden doors of the a small Uchiha dojo.

He breathed harshly as he heard more thuds coming from within.

_There is someone in here._ His thoughts were as shaky as his body. Like a leaf in a wind storm.

Hesitantly, Sasuke moved forward, his legs and arms feeling like led. He moved a step closer, putting his hands on the handles and giving it a push.

There, laying before him in the moonlight coming from a window were both his Mother and Father. On the bottom was his mother, laying on her back. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was wide open, blood trickling down the sides. Over top was his Father, it seemed he had tried to protect his wife, only to fall over her. His eyes were also closed and there was a saddening frown on his face.

"Father, Mother!" he yelled, running right into the room, doors shutting behind him.

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps coming out from the shadows. Slowly, one step by another the body moved into the light. Every step it took forward, Sasuke took one back. That was until he was backed into a wall and finally noticed who the person was.

"Big brother!" he yelled, walking a step closer. "Mother and Father are both... I don't- I just don't understand! Who would do all this?"

A gasp escaped the boys mouth when a shuriken flew by his arm and embedded itself in a near by wall. Sasuke grasped his shoulder in pain when a cut was made.

"What are you... Itachi, what...?" the younger mumbled, his face turning horrified. "What have you done?"

"Foolish little brother, I almost pity you." his older brother looked at him coldly, closing his eyes only to reopen them with a spinning three tomoe sharinngan. "Mangekyo Sharinngan."

Something pulsed inside Sasuke, everything changed then. No longer was he in the small dojo he had used to practice in, now he was in the street that he had been running down only fifteen minutes ago. The moon had turned brown and the sky a blood red. Around him buildings were inversed colors, the walls being black and the trimming being a eerie white. Looking up the boy watched as the clouds turned black and started churning, moving backwards.

In front of him, movement caught his attention.

The bodies... The ones he had seen in the street, all falling, all dying.

He tried to move his feet, only to find he was stuck in the spot.

_W-Why can't I move!_ his mind yelled.

Shuriken flew from nowhere, raining down and slaying the Uchiha clan. Blood flew as bodies fell to the cold ground beneath them.

Sasuke clutched his head, not wanting to see any of this at all. "Stop it! I don't want to know! Itachi, why are you showing me this! Stop!"

More Uchihas fell, allowing Sasuke to see Itachi standing behind them with an emotionless mask.

People ran at all directions towards the prodigy, only to be flung back without Itachi having to move.

"No!" he screamed.

He watched as his Aunt and Uncle met their demise before the scene shifted, bringing them back to the dojo. The colors were still off though, which meant he was still trapped. He bellowed to the top of his lounges as he watched Itachi slice through his parents with a katana, acting as if they were nothing to him.

His vision became a blood red and all he felt was his legs weakening and allowing him to collapse to his knees and then to his stomach. As he laid there, trying to forget all the awful memories his brother had shown him, he gasped for breath. Everything seemed blurry as he attempted to get up.

"Why...?" his voice was shaken up as he spoke. "Itachi, why did you do this? Why?"

There was a silence before the only answer he got.

"To test the limits... Of my abilities." he said stone cold.

"To test... Your ability? That's why you did this?" Sasuke's face was masqueraded by his bangs as he lifted his head a little. "Your telling me you butchered every single person in the Uchiha clan, your family, for that reason only?"

"It was of significant importance." Itachi's voice was still as emotionless as before.

"What are you saying?" Sasuke ground out, slowly rose to his knees before launching himself at his older brothers body. "You're out of your mind!"

As he got close, Itachi stepped forward and planted his fist into his little brothers gut. The boy lost all breath, falling to the ground in pain. When he looked up though, he came face to face with his dead father. Then and only then, for the first time that night, did Sasuke let tears come to his eyes. A step forward and Itachi had Sasuke running out of the dojo, attempting to get away.

_I'm scared... I'm scared! _His mind yelled at him.

"I don't want to die!" he yelled, running down the streets again. He came to a halt when he heard a footstep in front of him. Tears streamed down his face as he looked at Itachi in front of him.

"Please, don't kill me." Sasuke whispered.

"Your not even worth killing." came the immediate response from his brother. "Foolish little brother. If you wish to kill me one day, build your hatred and despise me. Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this. Cling to your wretched life."

Sasuke couldn't stop his fright. What changed everything were the words that came out of his brothers mouth next.

"Do this, and you might be able to save your friend Kagome when I come for her." with that, he was gone into the night.

_Alone,_ was the first thing that popped into the young boys head. _I'm so alone!_

He burst out crying, trying to find strength to move. He needed to find his way out of there and somewhere safe.

Wherever Kagome was... He needed to be.

* * *

><p>Kagome woke to Hinoki shaking her shoulder.<p>

When Sasuke had left, she had gone and ate a light meal and headed off for her bedroom. She had brushed her growing hair and brushed her teeth. Kagome had changed into a large t-shit and some shorts for pajamas, having outgrown nightgowns.

"W-What time is it?" the girl yawned softly and rubbed her eyes for ridding of sleep.

"Late." was all Hinoki said to her, changing the subject. "You have a guest waiting for you and by the looks of him, you better hurry."

Without any more prodding Kagome was up and out of her bed, running to the Hyuga gates. Maybe it was a late mail delivery? No, that wouldn't make sense. Maybe it was a mistake and they hadn't needed her? Maybe. At least it made more sense. What she hadn't expected to see was her best friend standing there, torn and dirty.

"Sasuke?" she yelled, running closer and ignoring the guards that looked at the boy with confusion and shot the girl dirty looks. "What's wrong?"

The boy shuddered, tears falling off his cheeks to the ground. It didn't seem like she was getting an answer any time soon.

"Here," she wrapped an arm around him and found his skin to be freezing. She slowly started walking him back to the Branch House. Lucky for them, the Branch's houses were closer than the Main ones.

She ushered him into the kitchen, sitting him down on a chair that went with the island.

Hinoki came beside her, looking the boy over.

"Oh my! I will go inform your parents, do you think you can handle him by yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah, Mother taught me some medical ninjutsu a while ago." the girl whispered, looking at her friend.

"Alright." the woman nodded hesitantly and was off in a flash.

"Sasuke, you need to tell me what happened." the eight year old female used her most serious tone which still sounded light and childish.

"Itachi... Mother, Father!" the salt water that leaked down his face just seemed to double.

Kagome took his hand and got him off the stool, taking him down the hall and to a bathroom.

"We need to get you washed up. Plus, your freezing." she whispered.

She sat him down yet again, this time though, on a stool in the large Branch Family bathroom. Luckily, it was one of the bathrooms in the house that had shower heads and faucets attached to the walls, a long isle for many of the clan people.

Kagome turned on a faucet and setting it to warm, waiting for the cold water to drain out first. While that happened, she walked over to the boy and set her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm going to take your shirt off now, it is freezing and I need to get you warm." she told him and received no answer so she just went ahead and did it.

The navy haired girl kept an eye on both him and the running water as she walked over to a cabinet and grabbed out a sponge. She came back and soaked it up in now hot water.

Slowly but carefully, Kagome squeezed the hot sponge over his hair. She watched as his shoulders relaxed just a tiny bit, still shaking from the cold though. The Hyuga continued her job, washing his legs, chest, hair and feet, getting all the dirt and, suprisingly, blood off of him. She made sure to be extra careful around any cut and bruises along with his puffy and red bare feet.

She turned off the faucet and ran over to the cabinet to grab one of the large puffy towels and walked back to cover him with.

They walked back to Kagome's room, Sasuke still wet from the 'shower' the girl had given him. He had been pretty much _placed_ on the girls bed when thy entered. The lilac eyes never leaving him as she went over to her wardrobe and knowingly pulled out a large shirt and a pair of plain shorts she had taken from Neji when they were too small for him.

"Sasuke, you need to change before I can get you bandaged up and such." the girl tried not to yawn as she placed the clothes in his lap. "Can you do that for me please?"

He nodded but as she went to leave the room and give him privacy he called out a broken, "Stay."

"Oh, well then... I'll just turn around." she murmured and kept her back to him.

While she heard the shuffling of him getting up, Kagome couldn't help but wonder what had happened to him. Whatever had happened though, she wasn't there to help him or protect him like she once promised. It had also been bad, she knew, from the way he didn't say anything and to the way he cried. He never cried, always saying, _Uchiha's don't cry at all, there is no need._ Then he would say something about how he had never once seen his brother Itachi cry and that he needed to not cry also. Kagome had told him that day that showing emotions was fine and healthy. He replied with his Uchiha '_Hn'_.

When there was no more shuffling coming from the other side of the room she slowly turned around to find him sitting on her bed again, towel laying on the floor.

Kagome ran over to the towel and placed it in her dirty clothes basket before returning to her bed. For her seventh birthday she had received a large first aid kit from Sesshomaru, him telling her that she was clumsy and she would need it. The girl couldn't thank the silver haired boy enough for the gift at that moment.

She opened it up and took out some band aids, healing salve, larger wrapping bandages and some disinfectant.

First, she sprayed the disinfectant on all of the cuts and scraps, wincing as she heard the Uchiha hiss. Secondly, she took out the smaller band aids and put them on said scratches and scrapes, applying the healing salve onto the deeper ones. Continuing on with the salve she applied it to all the bruised skin she could find. Lastly, she removed the old wrappings from his legs and put some new ones on, also wrapping his feet with them after rubbing them with the cream.

After all that was done, she laid the Uchiha down on her bed and pulled her covers over top of him. Kagome watched as he seeped into the warmth that was still there from when she laid there. Slowly, his eyes closed and he was off into a sleep. She reached up and slowly whipped off the smaller tears on his face. She was extremely worried about her friend.

That night, while she heard Hinoki talking to her Father and Mother outside of the door, she pulled the desk chair up to her bed and watched as Sasuke slept. Every time he squirmed she would find some way to relax him. Rubbing his hand, humming to him, talking as he slept, all of those options worked.

Even if Kagome was worried, the explanations would have to wait for the next day.

* * *

><p>Sasuke woke with a severe headache. Having had several nightmares that were all... <em>Zapped<em> away by a silver light.

Whenever Itachi would reach him, the light would come and the nightmares would calm for a while before starting up again. When Itachi almost swiped his parents down, the sword from his hand disintegrated into a million pieces of silver light. Watching the light made him calm, made things seem okay for a while but then the nightmares returned. It continued on like that, the lights giving Sasuke a headache that he told himself he could manage as long as there were no more of those nightmares.

He opened his eyes, not understanding his surroundings. He was in a small room that smelled like lilys and lavender. There was a desk, a wardrobe, a basket that had a lone white towel hanging out of it, one that looked fairly familiar to him. Finally he looked to his right, understanding where he was then.

Right there, at his side was his best friend. She sat in a chair, swaying a bit, with her chin resting on her chest. Her hair which had grown down past her shoulders framed her face and her spiky and puffy bangs hid her face. Her pale skin was shining from the sun coming from the window. It seemed like she had been trying to stay awake but sleep took over.

_Itachi... Said he was coming for her. _Sasuke thought as he looked her over. _Not if I can help it... I-I will protect her from him. She's too innocent, pure... Too _**important**_ to loose._

As he shifted, sitting up in what he assumed was her bed, his eyes stayed glued to the girl. Apparently the sound of moving bedsheets woke her up. Her head snapped up, eyes wide with worry and at the corner of each eye you could see some sleep. She instantly rubbed it away. Jumping up and moving closer to the bed.

"Sasuke..." she whispered but before she had the chance to say anything, a knock came to the door and in entered Harumi Hyuga and her husband Hiashi.

"Oh my!" Harumi sobbed, running into the room and clutching the small boy to her chest. So she knew... This only caused tears to form in Sasuke's eyes as he stayed unmoving. "S-Sasuke dear, you will be staying with m-me and our family for a while, okay?"

Sasuke didn't nod yes or no, he just looked over the woman's shoulder at Kagome who was receiving a glare from her Father. It didn't seem like she noticed though for she was too worried about Sasuke.

"What's going on?" Kagome whispered.

* * *

><p>Sasuke had been brought in for questioning over the next two weeks, staying with the Main House Hyuga's, Kagome visiting every night.<p>

After she had been told what had happened, she had cried for hours, but pulled her boots up for the fact that she was sobbing and even Sasuke was staying stronger than her and it was _his_ family. She had then acted softer towards him, trying and hoping he understood that she was showing her care.

Sasuke stayed emotionless as always, though this time... Things had changed. Instead of being quiet because it was his nature, it seemed like he was quiet because he couldn't find the strength to speak. The specs of emotions Kagome had been able to see in his eyes were all gone, leaving an unfamiliar blankness in its wake. He never made large movements, staying to himself except for the rare occasion he would lean on Kagome when she sat by him.

Neji and Sesshomaru were barely seen in those two weeks, only having a few times when Sesshomaru would drop by for a quick visit or one of the times she would fall asleep on Neji's floor, curled up in a blanket. Other than that she spent her time worrying and taking care of Sasuke.

One day, when she could not find him anywhere, she started to panic.

"Sasuke!" she yelled through the Branch house, trying to find her best friend. She ran through both the Main House and Branch house searching for him. She had checked the ballroom, the shrine, everywhere! He was no where to be found.

She ran out onto the street.

"Sasuke!" she called.

He could have been anywhere.

First she ran uptown to all the spots they had been together, he wasn't there. Seconly she ran to all of the Training fields they had ever trained in, he wasn't there either. Lastly, she ran to the academy, checking the bench they sat at most of the time, he wasn't there.

Kagome plopped down on the bench and put her face into her hands. She was only eight! Why did she have to deal with this? Why did she have to _stay strong _like everyone told her. Because she didn't want to let anyone down, that's why. Here she was though, no clue where her friend was, letting him down. The exact opposite of what she wanted to be doing.

If only... If only she could see better. If she could cover more ground things would be more simple. If only she had the... Byakugan. It was the only thing that would help in this situation so... She needed to try.

Flipping through thhe hand signs, she concentrated chakra near her eyes, exactly what Neji had told her he did when he activated his. Nothing happened though, it felt as if there was something... Blocking her from the capability of having the Byakugan.

_I... I need to do this!_ she thought as she did it a few more times, concentrating. The same results accured though.

_Please!_ she prayed. _I have tried so many times before and it didn't matter then. This is for the sake of Sasuke! For his _**protection**_!_

Suddently, something shifted inside her and the pressure of chakra behind her eyes seemed to double.

_Now's my chance..._ her mind hummed.

She flipped through all the hand signs, making sure there were no flaws. Kagome concentrated on pushing the chakra straight into her eyes and all around them. When she heard little popping noises, she instantly reached up and round her eyes where she felt... Veins.

Eight year old Kagome Hyuga had unlocked her Byakugan.

Everything around her was magnified, changing different colors, her vision grew around her until she could see almost everything around her. Except for one small blind spot, but that didn't matter at the moment. She needed to find Sasuke.

She ran through town again, taking roofs and back streets. Her vision spread wider when she stressed her eyes more. Kagome could see inside of people as she ran past, seeing their chakra and tenketsu. She didn't stop and stare in wonder as she would have... No, she continued on, trying to find the familiar chakra of her friend.

When she finally picked up on an aura she felt of him, it lead her straight to the entrance of the Uchiha Compound.

_Of course... Why did I not think of this?_ she whispered in her mind.

Kagome hesitantly walked through the gates and continued down the streets, walking to where she knew Sasuke's house was.

Looking down she saw footprints. That could only mean ha had been here.

Continuing onwards she walked through the already open door and looked around. There on the step was his pair of shoes and a bag that looked like it had been thrown there a long time ago. She cautiously continued, taking her shoes off and following the hallways to where his aura and chakra signal was. With her Byakugan she looked ahead and saw him sitting in the backyard, a garden with a lake she had only been in once. He was staring down at his reflection in the water, sitting on a dock.

Kagome walked down there only to scream when he jumped in. "Sasuke! No!"

Her Byakugan deactivated as she ran her quickest and launched herself at his sinking form in the water.

Apparently he had heard another splash and turned around to she navy hair swaying in the water and large, scared lilac eyes. He hesitantly reached out for the body, the person grabbing his hand and pulling him closer to them. The warm body took them up higher, kicking off from the ground and bringing them to the surface.

"S-Sasuke." the voice was hoarse and stiff from the cold water but as he listened he knew who it was.

"Kagome." he whispered and allowed her to pull him to shore. They sat on the grass, breathing heavily. Both of them shivered and leaned into each others body, trying to share heat.

"Itachi... He said he was going to come back for you." was his whisper to her.

She gasped and looked over to him.

"Don't worry though... I will protect you. I will be strong enough for the both of us." his voice was broken as he said it.

Kagome pulled him into a hug and buried her head into his neck. _No,_ she though to herself. _You won't have to... I will become stronger as well._ She never told it to him, but it was a pledge she made.

They stayed like that for a while before heading back to the Hyuga complex to get warmed up again.

* * *

><p>The months went on and bot Kagome and Sasuke turned nine.<p>

Kagome was named a prodigy by a few of the Hyuga clan, all for activating the Byakugan at a younger age. Neji was proud of her and Sesshomaru had came by for a day to say congratulations.

Sasuke on he other hand had just nodded and ruffled her hair.

The boy had become less emotional over the months. Becoming colder to those he did not know, sticking closer to the ones he did. He trained constantly and by the time the two kids were ten, he had moved back into the Uchiha complex by himself. He would have forever stayed at Kagome's home, but he knew that it would only cause her more pain to see him so sad everyday.

Things were not the same as they used to be. Though Sasuke was still there for her when she was sad or mad, he would comfort her in smaller ways then before. He barely showed emotion around others and even to Kagome it became limited. She had tried her hardest to help him and still tried to the very day.

Things were odd, things were different, things weren't the same.

Kagome knew this, and she knew it would have to be the way she lived from then on.


	8. Graduation

**Chapter eight, HORRAAAY! :] I'm so glad I have made it so far... I have gone through all of the chapters so far and fixed as many spelling mistakes as I could. :D Anyways, here is a chapter I know some of you have been waiting for. Also, thank you for putting up with my annoying long time taking there. School has been a son of a- xD**

**Disclaimer: I own manga, but I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight:<strong>

**Two Years Later.**

Kagome woke up in the morning as early as possible, five a.m to be exact.

The girl had grown over the two years that had past. Her hair was now almost to her hips, her body had grown longer making her height four feet and eight inches. Still small, but it beat her three feet ten inches from a couple years ago. She had grown herself breasts during those two years, the size being a little over average for a twelve year old girl. She had lost almost all her baby fat, keeping a little fat in her cute chubby cheeks. Kagome had also grown into having a very fit body, ready for being a ninja. Her flat stomach and curves made her look more feminine than she ever had before.

She yawned, sitting up from her bed and stretching. The navy haired girl stood up from her bed, scratching her back from an itch and made her way over to her wardrobe. Opening it up, she spotted the new clothes that her mom had taken her out to by. She had instantly fell in love with the blue color of the shirt, but decided it had been way to short for her. Her mother had gotten it for her anyways, telling the girl that her own ninja shirt had shown much more skin and that if had been much tighter to her body as well. She had been a little shocked and also a little disturbed at that information. Grabbing the clothes, she made her way to her desk, grabbing her hair and tooth brushes.

She opened her door, bowing and saying good morning to Hinoki as she walked by the lady.

"Hurry up, I wish to see your outfit you and your mother chose!" she had her brown hair back in two french braids that day.

Kagome nodded and gave her a smile, continuing her trek tot he bathroom.

When she got there she quickly changed, brushed her teeth, brushed and styled her hair then looked in the mirror, slapping a hand to her forehead and giggling. She looked... Odd.

In front of her was a girl with long hip length hair, tied back with a band, a look she had stolen from her cousin Neji. She wore no make-up on her face like she knew other girls her age did. Her clothing consisted of a dark blue belly shirt that ended an inch and a half below her bosom. Underneath it was a mesh shirt that stopped just above her belly button. Her pants were gray and went right over her knees. On her right leg was her kunai and shuriken holster. Clipped on the back of her pants was a white pouch.

She laughed, bringing her fingers up to push her bangs up. The black crescent moon was still positioned in the middle of her forehead. Not to big and not too small. She sighed at the sight.

_I still have no clue of what it does. What sort of power was Uncle Hiashi talking about?_ She thought sadly.

She had realized at age eleven, what was happening through out the Hyuga households. The Branch Family were only allowed to go to the Ninja Academy for the sole purpose of becoming a guard later in life. She had also learned that her Uncle had not died from natural causes but was killed in place of her Father after killing a man from another land. She had been torn at first, not knowing if she should be angry, sad or happy. Kagome had held a small anger towards her Father but couldn't keep it for long, though she still did not agree with the ways of the Main House.

She walked back to her room and put her brushes back on the desk, throwing her night clothes into the laundry basket.

Finishing with that, Kagome headed towards the kitchen where she knew Hinoki would be, making her a nice breakfast. Her bare feet padded lightly on the wood floors, a consecutive _pat-pat_ noise as she walked. That pattern stopped though when she paused in front of a garden that she liked to call her own. She hadn't been in there for a while, always getting caught up in training and the Academy. The Hyuga girl promised herself that she would go back in it soon and feed the koi.

When she made it to the kitchen her mouth was watering from the heavy sent of her favourite food in the air.

"Oden!" she cried gleefully. Even if oden was a winter dish that was served for supper, Hinoki always made it for her on special days. On that spring morning, Kagome was extra excited.

"Oh! You startled me, you really must be doing well with your Ninja studies if I couldn't hear you coming." Hinoki turned around and laughed. "Right, come here and let me examine you!"

Hinoki, who had become like a second Mother to Kagome, looked her over with little _Mhmm_ noises.

"I like it!" she smiled.

"You don't think it shows too much skin?" Kagome swallowed down her surprise.

Hinoki chuckled and her eyes gleamed. "Well Kagome, seduction is also very important while being a Ninja. I remember this one time I-"

She was cut off by a squeal that came from Kagome. Her face was almost as red as her sisters when she got embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry! I just went down memory lane again. It's happening too often." she apologized and then murmured, "I think I'm getting old."

"So... Is the oden ready yet?" she asked, looking at the pan all the ingredients were frying in. Boiled eggs, daikon radish, homemade fish cakes, carrots, a little bit of octopus and some pork were all being simmered in a oden pot. Her favorites too. She smiled, mouth watering more.

The woman chuckled. "Go ahead and eat from the pot. No use wasting bowls when we could just eat it like that, doesn't make much of a difference to me."

Kagome nodded, grabbing some chopsticks and digging in, heading straight for the pork.

A half an hour later and the whole pot was devoured. It was finally six a.m and Kagome was ready to go. The Academy opened up at seven thirty a.m and started at eight a.m so she still had time. She decided to help clean up in the kitchen before leaving. They finished washing dishes at seven fifteen and Kagome was off to meet her older sister.

She ran outside, her sister already waiting for her. She was dressed in a baggy beige sweater that had fur at the bottom and the Hyuga symbol on the arm. Her pants were a dark navy and they came to halfway down her shin. Her kunai and shuriken holster was also on her right side. Kagome felt way under dressed next to her sister. Even if Hinata had a confidence problem and hid herself away in those clothes on purpose, she still felt like she needed to cover up more!

She used to walk to the Academy with Neji, but since he graduated and became part of a team it didn't happen that often. Usually though, she would walk with Sasuke. He would come and wait for her to come out and then they would make their way to the Academy. That day though, Hinata and her decided to walk together when Sasuke told her he wanted to get there early.

"Good morning Hinata-nee!" Kagome walked up to the girl and gave her a hug.

Her sister returned the hug softly and stuttered out a, "G-Good morning, K-Kagome."

"I'm excited!" Kagome announced as they began their walk.

Hinata looked at her shyly, tiling her head in confusion.

"It's not every day you go to the Academy and do a Graduation Test!" she laughed happily.

"I-I'm not s-sure if I-I can do it." her older sister looked down, ashamed.

"What are you talking about Hinata-nee? You can do it, I know you can!" she smiled. "To reassure you, Neji-nii told me that it was easy as one, two, three! He said a boy with barely any chakra passed it!"

"R-Really?" Hinata looked at her sister.

"Yes, really! We can do it Hinata. Just think, Mother and Father would be so proud!" Kagome giggled.

"Yeah." Hinata smiled lightly as her and her twin came into view of the Academy.

They entered through the doors and everyone that was in the halls turned and stared at them. Hinata's first instinct was to hide behind Kagome who only laughed. "It's okay." Kagome whispered and grabbed her hand. She ran down the hall to the classroom they were both in. Hinata walked up to the front, left side of the room where her seat was located while Kagome sat in between Sasuke and Shikamaru in the back, center of the room.

"Good morning." she smiled.

"Morning." was all she got from her best friend and snores from the boy beside her who was sleeping like always.

They sat there until they heard the bell ring and people started to file in. Only some she had come to know.

Ino Yamanaka, a pretty blonde, came through the door with her normal dazzling smile. She wore a purple belly shirt that had a thick neck. Underneath it her stomach was covered by bandages. For bottoms she wore a skirt that had long slits up the sides that would have shown her underwear unless she was wearing bandages on her legs aswell. Her pouch was clipped onto the skirt and her kunai and shuriken holster was on her right leg. Ino's platinum blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, one piece of her bang hanging down into her right eye. Her eyes were a nice blue. She was very pretty, but she was someone Kagome never talked to.

Beside her, also coming through the door was a girl named Sakura Haruno. She had bubblegum pink hair that was almost as long as Kagome's, that was pulled back by a red ribbon. She was taller than Kagome and had a longer body. Unluckily for the girl, puberty had not been kind to her and not give her any curves or breasts, leaving her as straight and flat as a board. She wore a red qipao dress with white accents and a white circle on the back. Tight, dark green shorts were on her legs and her kunai and shuriken holster was on her left leg. She wore a pair of blue ninja sandals. In her own way, she was very pretty. Kagome also didn't talk to her, never actually noticing the girl give her glares whenever she was around Sasuke. Which was a lot.

Kiba Inuzuka came in next with his best friend Inuyasha Taishio. The two were distant cousins, coming from two different dog gene families. Kiba had spiky brown hair and brown eyes that had uspide down triangle marks underneath them. He wore a heavy gray coat and black pants that went to his shins. Blue ninja sandals and kunai and shuriken holster on his left side. Inuyasha had long silver hair like his brother Sesshomaru. He had golden eyes and on top of his head was a pair of white dog ears. Kagome remembered being over at Sesshomaru's for a sleepover and having touched the boys ears. Let's just say they were sensitive. He wore a red hakama and hiori that were tucked into each other around the waist. It had long sleeves that had cuts in both arms, showing white fabric underneath. Kagome had only talked to these people once or twice.

Next was Kikyo Chishio. She had long ink black hair that was tied into a loose ponytail on her back, her bangs cut across her face. She wore a normal preistess garb, coming from a family of Ninja mikos and priests. Red, long pants with a white hiori tucked into them. Instead of having Kunai and Shuriken she had a bow and quiver attached to her back. On her feet were a pair of red Ninja sandals. A girl with no emotions. All Kagome knew about her was that she was surprisingly a part of the 'Sasuke Fanclub'.

Shino Aburame, a boy who was already in the classroom by the time the bell rang had spiky hair like Kiba's, just a little less wild. He hid his face with round sunglasses and a high collared jacket. Brown pants and Kunai and Shuriken holster on his left leg. He was always quiet, Kagome didn't think ill of him anyways.

The boy next to her, Shikamaru Nara had dark brown-black hair that was tied up in a spiky ponytail. He wore a mesh shirt and a gray over jacket... Though you really couldn't call it a jacket when it ended just below his pecks and had the sleeves of a t-shirt. Shikamaru also had brown pants and ninja shoes on. His holsters and pouches were on his right side. Even though he called her energy _Troublesome_, she couldn't help but laugh at his lazy antics.

Choji Akamichi, the Nara's best friend, was a pudgy boy who had yet to loose his baby fat. He had brown hair and deep brown eyes. His clothing consisted of a white shirt, the kanji for _Food_ written in red, a short sleeved green overcoat, a white scarf and a pair of brown pants. On his cheeks were pink-ish red swirls, marking him an Akamichi. The boy was very polite and kind, he had even helped her get a butterfly from out of a web once. Kagome had nothing bad to say.

Another bell rung, signifying class had begun and their teacher walked into the room. He looked around and sighed.

"Does anyone know where Naruto is?" Iruka asked.

"I'm here, I'm here!" came yelling from outside of the doors to the class.

After about two more seconds, in came the bouncing ball of energy. Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata's one and only crush. He had bright blonde hair the color of sunshine and sea blue eyes. Each of his cheeks had three whisker-like scars, making him look fox-like. The articles of clothing he always wore were his blue and orange jumpsuit (A combination of orange pants and blue and orange jacket), a pair of blue ninja sandals and a pair of goggles on his head. Being left handed meant his weapons holster and pouch was on his left side. Kagome smiled at her sisters crush, trying not to laugh at the pout on his face that had appeared when Iruka-sensei started to lecture him.

The man sighed. "Naruto, just go sit down."

The boy ran from his spot at the front of the class to sit down beside Kikyo in the very center of the room.

"Alright," Iruka sighed as he went to his podium. "We will now be starting the Graduation Exam. When your name is called, please proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on..."

Kagome leaned forward in her seat, excited to know what it was.

"The clone jutsu."

Everyone in the class had their own reaction. Sasuke just leaned back with a smirk. _Easy._ He thought. Kagome just giggled and clapped her hands together. Ino and Sakura stared each other down. Shino, Kikyo and Shikamaru all had faces of indifference (Well, Shikamaru was still sleeping...). Chojii just munched on a bag of chips as he waited for his name to be called. Hinata blushed and nodded her head to herself. She could do it!

Everyone all seemed happy or normal about it. All except one: Naruto Uzumaki.

_The clone Jutsu! Aghh, that's my worst jutsu! _he inwardly groaned.

"We will be calling people alphabetically, by last name. Starting with... Shino Aburame." Iruka called.

Kagome sat and waited for her name to be called. The room was half empty and her sister had just gone in before they called out her name.

"Kagome Hyuga."

She stood from her seat and made her way to the exam room. Before she even left the class though, she turned her head to look at Sasuke. He gave her a smirk and a nod of the head. In return she gave him a large smile and a thumbs up.

She walked into a room with a large open space. On the other side of the room was a table that had a multitude of Konoha Ninja Forehead Protectors. Sitting behind that desk with clipboards were none other than Iruka Umino and his friend who also taught, Mizuki.

"Hello Kagome." Iruka welcomed her.

Mizuki nodded to her, "All you have to do is create as many clones as you can."

_As many? _Kagome hummed to herself in her mind. She then nodded and made the normal clone hand signs. _As many as I can..._

She pushed as much chakra as she could into and around her body, strengthening it. Forming clones was easy from then on out. She managed to materialize as many as she could, just like he said.

"T-Thirty clones!" Iruka stood from his seat. "Not only that, but they are all so perfect."

The Kagome's all smiled and giggled, her sweet voice filling the room.

"I'm not quite sure which one to give it to." Mizuki said, lifting a blue headband up in the air.

"Oh!" One of the Kagome's called and rushed forward. The clones all poofed away. "You can give it to me."

The two Chunins chuckled at the girl and gave her the Headband which she placed around her hips.

"Thank you!" she smiled and left the room, going outside to where everyone was waiting. As she walked outside she spotted Hinata and her mother standing there.

"Hinata-nee?" she called, running up to the two females.

"I d-did it." the girl blushed and than was drawn into a hug by their mother. Kagome too joined the group hug, laughing.

"Big sister... Do you know what this means?" she asked Hinata.

The older girl just looked at her, confused.

"We're Ninja now! A whole new time in our lives has begun!" Kagome gushed. "I'm so excited."

"Good job girls." Harumi patted both of them on the head with a smile.

They waited around for Sasuke to come out, saying he obviously passed. All his fan girls growled as they saw Kagome give him a huge hug, but to actually see _the_ Uchiha putting one arm around her in return. Impossible!

"Mother," Kagome turned to the woman, having an idea. "May Sasuke come over for dinner?"

"Of course dear! You know he's always welcome at both the Branch and Main houses." She smiled.

Kagome than turned to her best friend. "What do you say, will you come? I will make something with lots of tomatoes!"

Sasuke just smirked as usual with a, "Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes!" the youngest of the group smiled. "To home!"

* * *

><p>A couple days after that, all the passing students were to meet up at the Academy. They would get a lecture of how being a Ninja changed things and then they would learn who they would be teamed with and who their Jounin instructor was. Kagome knew all of this from when Neji explained it to her the year before, when he graduated.<p>

Luckily, Neji had come back from his mission and decided to walk to the Academy with Kagome. He had been pretty tired when he came back the night before so Kagome had whipped him up some Herring Soba and meditated with him for the night. Finally, she fell asleep on his floor listening to the tales of his mission.

"Neji, how is being a Ninja?" she asked him. "I mean, I'm a Ninja now... I don't feel any different though. Your missions sound so cool and exciting!"

"Some of the missions are a bore but others can be accelerating. It is all up to fate if you come back from a mission though." the boy shrugged.

"How is your team?" she asked, jumping over a large rock in the road.

"Their pathetic." Neji growled, not wanting to voice his rude opinion to Kagome, but she asked. They had promised no lies. "Lee trys his hardest, but never succeeds. TenTen seems to be fussing more with her weapons than actually training. Gai-sensei... He's as odd as ever."

"Ah." Kagome nodded, looking at the school building in front of them. "Thanks for walking me Neji! I'll talk to you when I get home. Maybe tonight you can help me cook?"

The girl gave him a quick hug and her normal 'A thousand watt smile'. She was then off running to class, early as ever.

She ran into class and plopped right next to Sasuke who was staring out a window.

"Good morning!" she greeted.

"Hn." he looked over at her and nodded. The usual.

They sat there for a while, Kagome resting her head on the desk while Sasuke continued to look out the window. That was until Naruto Uzumaki sat down beside her.

"Good morning." Kagome nodded to him.

"Oh, Hey there!" he smiled and scratched the back of his head. He never noticed when Sasuke looked over and shot him a warning glare.

Shikamaru chose that time to walk on past, noticing the orange and blue clad boy.

"What are you doing here Naruto?" he asked. "This class isn't for drop outs, you can't be here unless you graduate."

"Oh yeah! Do you see this, do you see this?" Naruto pointed at the blue forehead protector on his forehead with his thumb. "Open your eyes Shikamaru, it's a regulation headband. We're going to be training together, how do you like that!"

Kagome who just happened to hear the conversation, smiled to herself and leaned back in her seat. She looked to the back row, middle column to see her older sister looking over with a blush. That blush increased tenfold when Kagome gave her a thumbs up.

Suddenly, the door to the classroom was slammed open, revealing both Ino and Sakura. The two girls pushed through the door at the same time and opened their arms wide.

"I'm first!" they both shouted at the same time and then slouched to inhale.

"I won again Sakura." the blonde glared at the pinkette.

"Give it up! I had to look back to see you, my toe was clearly a centimeter infront of yours!" Sakura glared back.

"Whatever Sakura, have you always been this delusional?" Ino growled.

The girl flipped her hair and looked around the class, only to stop and look at Sasuke. She smiled and ran down the stairs, Ino right on her tail.

"Hi Sakura, whats up?" Naruto attempted to ask, only to get pushed over by Sakura who yelled, "Move it!"

"Kagome." the pinkette snarled, leaning on one hip. "Could you move, your in _my_ seat."

The navy haired girl looked at the pinkette and frowned. "I was here early to get this seat. Besides, I always sit beside Sasuke. He's my best friend."

"Yeah, sure he is. Sasuke is just too kind to tell you he hates you. Seriously, look at him, he looks annoyed at you even now!" she smirked. "Now if you could get out of my way-"

"Shut up Sakura." Sasuke turned to glare at her.

"W-What? Sasuke I was just trying to look out for you, the little Witch won't move so-" Sakura was yet again cut off by a fierce glare coming from the Uchiha.

"Leave Kagome alone." was all he said.

"Sakura... Not to be mean but... Even If I were to move, there are plenty of other girls who were here before you to have the spot." Kagome gave her a shy smile.

"Yeah!" one random girl yelled, standing from her spot and running up the stairs. "Like me!"

"No, me!" another girl snarled, getting up as well.

Soon enough a horde of girls were all standing around the desk, screaming about who should have the spot, other than Kagome that is.

Naruto, who had been pushed back by the pink headed female, had had about _enough_ if all the Sasuke fan girls. What was so cool about Sasuke anyways? He stood from his spot and in one bound, the blonde was on top of Sasuke's desk, face to face with him. They were so close their noses almost touched.

They glared at each other while the fan-girls screamed.

"Naruto, stop glaring at Sasuke!" Sakura shrieked.

Naruto looked back to the pinkette whom he was crushing on.

_Sakura..._ He though gloomily before looking back to Sasuke, eyes glaring darker. _Why are they so obsessed with him? Sasuke, Sasuke! What's the big deal with this guy? He almost has all the girls in the class falling for him except for Hinata and Kagome. Even then Kagome is his best friend!_

Kagome could literally see the sparks shooting from their eyes. Apparently, the fan-girls had also spotted it and they screamed louder.

"Get away from him!"

"He doesn't want to smell your nasty breath!"

"Shoo! Your annoying our precious Sasuke!"

"Sasuke, show him your power!"

Meanwhile, Kagome herself was giggling at the display. She hadn't seen either of them so riled up before.

The boy in front of Sasuke's desk obviously didn't catch the situation going on behind him and leaned back, elbowing something soft. When he looked back though to say sorry, he froze. In fact... Everyone froze.

"What the..." Sakura whispered slowly.

In front of them all was Naruto and Sasuke, both wide eyed. It seemed that as the boy leaned his elbow back, he had accidentally bumped Naruto forward, making him fall into Sasuke. It wasn't just the fact that he had fallen, it was the position they ended up in.

Kissing.

They both broke away, clutching their necks as if they were choking.

_CHAAA! Naruto, you will pay for this, I was supposed to be Sasuke's first kiss! _Inner Sakura screamed in a furious rage.

"Danger... I sense danger." Naruto whispered and looked over his shoulder to see a horde of angry fan girls.

"Naruto... You are so dead." Sakura ground out through her teeth.

"Hey, whoa! It was an accident!" he shouted, waving his hands in front of him.

Apparently though, the girls would have none of that, each cracking their knuckles or rolling their heads around, ready to attack.

"Your finished!" the Haruno growled.

_Uh oh... _Naruto's eyes widened and than squinted shut, expecting pain.

Everyone froze yet again as something unexpected happened.

"Heh heh." came from Kagome, her hand moving to her eye to catch a few stray tears before she burst out into laughed. "Oh-Oh wow!"

Everyone in the class looked at her, including Sasuke and Hinata. They had seen her like that before, but to think she would laugh so hard at a time like this.

"Th-That was great." she chuckled and then patted the seat on the other side of her. "Come Naruto, sit next to me?"

He looked shocked at first, but slowly moved over to the spot. It was hesitant because of all the death threats he was receiving.

"Girls... It wasn't really his fault anyways. As he said, an accident. There is no need beating him up for it." she was still lightly laughing as she looked at most of the classes female population. They were about to yell at her as well, but with the glare Sasuke was throwing their way... It didn't really feel safe.

Iruka walked through the teachers door just as the girls returned to their seats and the bell for class rang.

"Good Morning class." he greeted. Some nodded back, some even said good morning.

"As of today, you are all Ninja. To get here you have all faced difficult trials and hardships, but that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult." Iruka lectured, just as Kagome had thought. She gained a sweet smile on her face, thinking about how much the man cared for his students. "Now you are only Genin, first level Ninjas. All the Genin will be grouped into three man squads, each squad will be lead by a Jounin, an elite Ninja."

"Huh?" Sakura, Ino and Naruto all looked up.

"Well Sakura, someone has to be in Sasuke's group... I wonder who that will be." Ino smirked,

Sakura in turn, tried to act nonchalant. "I don't know."

On the inside though, Sakura was fuming. _CHAAA! I'm going to be on Sasuke's team so stay away you old hag!_

_Ugh, groups of three... That will only slow me down. Unless I get the strongest people on my team._ Sasuke groaned to himself.

_Just as Neji-nii said. _Kagome smiled.

_I wanna be with Sakura and Kagome doesn't seem too bad... Well, as long as it's not Sasuke._ Naruto thought, leaning on his hand for support.

"Each squad was built to specialize with each of your unique abilities. That is how we set them up." Iruka nodded to the class. "I will now announce the squads."

"Squad one..." Iruka started.

Kagome simply droned him out, even if it was rude. She had to think about what squad she would be put on. How were they using their abilities? Type of jutsu wise.. Or the way they fought... Or both?

"Team Seven:" Iruka said extra loud, making Kagome jump and look at her Sensei. He seemed to know she had been in deep thought, connecting his eyes to hers.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he started, making the blonde look up from his resting position.

"Kagome Hyuga," the girl looked over to the blonde who also looked over to her. They smiled at each other. Sasuke on the other hand frowned and glared at the blonde. If he so much as-

"And Sasuke Uchiha." The boy suddenly stopped with threat he was about to make and paused. He was with Kagome... _He _was with _Kagome_... And Naruto, but that didn't matter at that moment.

_Good, I can keep my promise to her. _He thought, looking down on the girl who just hugged him.

"Yay, we will be working together from now on then." she smiled. Knowing that she could be with her friend made things so much better.

"WHAT!" Sakura screamed, standing from her spot. "Why does that little Hyuga get to be with him?"

"Why do I have to be with such a snail like Sasuke!" Naruto also stood.

"First of all Naruto, you had the worst grades of all, while Sasuke had the best. It was easy to pick that the best student would go with the worst student. Secondly Sakura, the Hokage set it this way for a reason. With these three paired together, each focuses on their own type of Jutsu. Kagome excels with Taijutsu because of her families techniques. Sasuke would be perfectly set for Genjutsu with his Sharinngan. As for Naruto, his chakra coils are big and hold more chakra, making it easier to teach him to learn Ninjutsu. Together the tree would work well." the teacher explained.

"Ah." Sakura sat down, embarrassed to be told off by a teacher. Naruto too sat down, growling to himself.

"Next group! Squad Eight: Hinata Hyuga," the shy girl looked up from staring at Naruto. Even if she wasn't with him, she would work her hardest.

"Yes sir." came her silky soft voice.

"Kiba Inuzuka," the boy who had been called, smirked.

"And Shino Aburame." the silent male fixed his sunglasses upon hearing his name.

"Team Nine: Inuyasha Taishio," the silver haired boy chuckled with a smirk on his face.

"Kikyo Chishio," the girl nodded and ignored Inuyasha as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"And Sakura Haruno." Iruka finished. The pinkette gulped. She hated Kikyo and Inuyasha scared her.

"Now, Squad Ten: Ino Yamanaka," the blonde girl leaned closer in anticipation.

"Shikamaru Nara," the boy lazily sighed and smirked at Ino, knowing she didn't want him on her team.

"And Choji Akimichi." said boy was mowing down on dome chips.

_Oh god, not only lazy boy but food boy too!_ Ino screeched to herself.

"After lunch you will all be meeting your Jounin instructors." the last Umino said and bowed. "You are all dismissed."

Just like clockwork, the bell rang.


	9. Kakashi Lies

**HORAAH, I'M NOT DEAD... yet. But yeah guys, I'm sorry this took so long! I have been sick and I decided that one day in bed I would just write this one up. I just didn't have much time to post it up. **

**Anyways, I would like to thank AnimeFreakAmanda, ShiTsukisama and Gemava whom I have been talking to lately. They are my role models! -Sends love-**

**Disclaimer: I got more manga... But no I don't own either Inuyasha or Naruto. :[**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine:<strong>

That lunch period, Sasuke had taken Kagome with him. They both sat quietly inside of a empty house, leaning against an open window.

"Are you excited?" Kagome had asked.

"Hn. Should I be?" he asked, reaching into the bento that held the pickled vegtables and onigiri Kagome had made for their lunch that day.

"Well, Yeah! I mean, today is the day we were paired together in a team! We won't have to visit eachother every 'once and a while' when we are on the same team!" Kagome attempted to explain while her mouth was full with rice. In a way, the scene would be cute. After she swallowed, she continued. "Really though, we can be with eachother everyday and I can make bento's for Naruto and you... We could be like... A big family?"

Sasuke just chuckled, one of the many things he only did around her.

"I don't mind being around you since I always am. It's the idea of having that dobe around." the raven headed boy uttered. Speaking longer sentences was also on the list of things he only did around his best friend.

"Sasuke, don't be mean." Kagome giggled and shook her head. "He seems like a very nice boy. He's different thats all. Also, you can't exactly say _we're_ normal either."

Sasuke looked at the girl as she gained a blank stare. She was true though. A boy who was the second last of his clan and a girl who had an ancient seal lodged onto her forehead. Deffinitley not... Normal.

"Besides, he's on our team now, we have to be nice. Teamwork is essential when in a mission." she sighed as she quoted a saying from a scroll she read.

"Hn." he hummed. Yet again, she was true. Teamwork _was_ essential and he would try. It didn't mean he had to like it though.

They leaned there for a while until an orange blob swung in through the window, closing the windows cover.

Kagome automatically activated her Byakugan. As she looked around she saw Sasuke, come barrels, Naruto, some posters- Wait, Naruto?

"Naruto what are you doing here?" Kagome asked.

"Huh? Oh Kagome." Naruto looked over, shocked. He started chuckling nervously. "Well, I _was_ going to tie Sasuke up and transform into him, but now that I see I'm a little out numbered..."

Kagome just laughed as Sasuke gave him a glare.

"Why don't you eat with us? We are a team afterall and I brought more than enough foor." she askes, walking back to the window to lift the cover off. With her Byakugan still activated, she saw Ino, Shikamaru and Choji all sitting on a balcony a little bit away form them. They seemed to be watching the window. The navy haired girl waved to them. Ino huffed and looked away, Shikamaru raised a hand, just to drop it as quickly and Choji nodded, still eating his lunch.

"Really Kagome?" Naruto asked, eyes shining brightly.

Sasuke wanted to stomp his feet in anger and scream, 'No, _not_ really! Now leave' but he was an Uchiha. Uchiha's did not stomp their feet much less _scream_. Screaming was for girls, he was a man and he _yelled_ like a man. Sasuke... Very manly.

"Of course! Look, we still have some onigiri left, and a lot of vegetables. Go ahead!" Kagome picked up the bento and offered him some. He automatically reached for an onigiri.

He shoved it in his mouth, not really caring for the taste, but as soon as the flavors started spreding through his mouth he slowed down. The texture of the rice was perfect. Smooth with no bumps. It was soft to bite into, but not so much to the point where all the rice started to fall apart uselessly. The filling was heavenly. He had never tasted cooking so _good_ before.

"Where did you buy this?" he hummed softly, still chewing.

"W-Well, I actually made it on my own. Is it bad?" she asked, wide eyed.

Sasuke seemed to be giving him a warning glare, but the blonde barely noticed.

"Hell no! This is delicious!" he yelled after swallowing. "How did you learn to cook like that?"

"Uhm, I was grown up away from Konoha... I didn't know about my family until I was five. When I was living with... Another woman, she taught me all sorts of things. I would always help her around the house with cooking and such." Kagome's eyes were filled with a happy nostalgia. "Even when I came back, I was taught how to cook by Hinoki, my caregiver. She's an exellent cook, even better than me!"

"Wow!" Naruto gasped. "Someone can cook better than this! I have to try some sometime!"

"Sure! I'll have to invite you for dinner some time." she smiled.

"I-Invite? As in... You're going to let me in your house?" he had never heard that before. He never had a friend that would let him come over, their parents were to angry at him. Actually, he barely had friends at _all_.

"Yeah, why not?" she looked confused.

The girl never got an answer, only being pounced on to receive a huge hug from the boy. She could faintly hear a growl coming from beside them, not recognizing it to be Sasuke.

The rest of that lunch period was spent talking about random things. Animals, food, training, different villages, missions they wanted, you name it and I bet they talked about it. Kagome supplied the finfilled laughter, Naruto telling the jokes and conversation topics and Sasuke watched over Kagome as she had a fun time, also allowing himself to add a few '_Hn's_' into the conversations. After that, they packed up Kagome's now empty bento and headed back to class together.

Time to meet their new Jounin leader.

* * *

><p>"He's late!" Naruto groaned, head sticking out of the door and flicking from side to side. "How come our teachers the only one late?"<p>

Kagome giggled, sitting on a desk. "Maybe he had somthing to do?"

"Well I'm ready to roll. Believe it!" he looked back at his new teamates.

Kagome was sitting on a desk, kicking her small legs back and forth. Sasuke on the other hand, was sitting at the same desk a spot over, resting his elbows on it.

"Well, he should have done it yesterday!" he turned around, a feirce look in his eyes. "All the other teams met their Jounin sensei's already! I bet their all out doing some extremely cool missions while we sit in here and do nothing at all! Even Iruka-sensei left us!"

"Well, Iruka-sensei actually _did _have stuff to do." Kagome murmered.

Kagome looked over at the blonde haired Ninja, spotting him up on a stool. He was placing a chalk eraser in between the door frame and the door. If someone were to walk through there, they would have chalk powder all over their head. Kagome hoped their sensei either didn't fall for it or didn't have black hair. They would look like a skunk.

"Naruto... I'm pretty sure that's not okay." Kagome said hesitantly.

"Kagome, don't worry! That's what he gets for making us wait!" he laughed. "Suprise!"

"Hn." Sasuke hummed. "Our teacher is a Jounin, an Elite Ninja. Do you think he would fall for that?"

Kagome frowned. "He has a point."

They all paused as they saw a hand curl around the door, ready to pull it open. As it did, in popped a silver haired man who... Got slammed in the head with a chalk eraser.

The room was silent for a few seconds before Naruto burst out laughing.

"I got him! He totally fell for it!" Naruto pointed at the man and laughed.

Kahome tried to hold back her giggles, knowing it would be rude to laugh. It had been so funny though!

Sasuke frowned deeper, resting his chin on his hands. _He actually fell for that cheap trick? Is this guy even a Jounin?_

The man leaned down and grabbed the eraser.

"Hm, how should I put this?" his voice was deep. "My first impresion of this group: You're all idiots."

Thre three Genin drooped at the same time.

"Meet me on the roof in five minute. That is all the time you have." he said, then poofed away.

Kagome paused, looking around. The stairs would obviously take too long. Outside was a tree that could possibly be as tall as the roof. It was their best chance.

She ran over to the window, opening it up and turning around.

"The stairs will take too long, we have to get up the tree!" she told them, they both nodded and ran after her.

Each of them jumped onto the tree, going up the branches until they reached the top and jumped onto the roof.

Their Sensei was already there, leaning against the railing. He had an orange book open that said 'Icha Icha Paradise' on it. Kagome was about to ask what it was until he snapped it shut and put it in his Ninja pouch.

"You may all take seats over there." he pointed to the steps.

They did as they were told, Kagome sitting on the far left, Sasuke in the middle and Naruto on the right.

Now that she wasn't having to keep herself under control of laughing, Kagome looked her new Sensei over.

He had silver hair that defied gravity and leaned left. He had a mask on his face, covering up his nose and went up towards his left eye. His forehead protector leaned over that left eye as well. _He must have a thing for left angles?_ Kagome wondered as she continued to check him over. He wore a normal green Jounin vest with a long sleeved black under shirt. He had long black pants and black Ninja sandals.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" he asked.

"Introduce ourselves?" Kagome cocked her head sideways.

"Yes, tell me what your hobbies are. Dislikes, likes, dreams for the future? Stuff like that." He answered with a shrug.

"I'm still not understanding." the 'thick-headed' blonde scratched his neck. "How 'bout you do one first so we can see how it's done?"

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that." the silver haired mans face was never changing. Kagome and Naruto looked at eachother, eyebrows raising in question. "My dreams for the future... Never really thought about it. As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies."

Kagome tried not to giggle when she realised he had said absalutley nothing about him besides his name. She knew though, that even if he wasn't saying it on purpose somewhere deep down he was telling them that if they were a good enough team and passed in his eyes, they would all eventually learn these things about him. She honestly couldn't wait to gain a new friend.

"Alright, you on the right. Your turn." he looked at Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, believe it! I like instant ramen in a cup, even better then that is when Iruka takes me out to have Ichiraku ramen, it's the best. I hate the three minutes you have to wait for after you pour the hot water into the cup. My hobby is compairing different types of ramen and seeing which ones I like most. My future dream is... To be the greatest Hokage, then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and look up to me instead."

_He's grown up in a very interesting way... No seriously, who in hell wears orange and is obsessed with ramen. Just thinking._ Kakashi thought to himself. "Alright next."

"My name is Kagome Higurashi. I like... No, I love every one of my friends, Sesshomaru Sasuke, Neji. I also like oden, it's my favourite food! I don't particularily hate anything... Except when people pick on Hinata-nii or call her weak. I also don't like it when my friends are hurt. My hobbies are training, some archery and weapons training, hanging out with my friends, cooking, reading... Well, I like to do just abthing that isn't hurtful to others. My dream for the future has to be, hmm... Oh! I want to settle down and have a family after becoming a Jounin or even ANBU! I will work under the great Hokage Naruto and everything will be fun!" Kagome ranted and spoke without having to take one breath.

_She's... Kinder, more fragile. She will need some toughening up. Other than that Kagome seems to be an intelligent girl who cares for her friends._ The silver haired man stared at the girl as Naruto looked over to her.

"You think I can be Hokage?" he asked.

"Yeah of course! You can be whatever you want to be if you put your mind to it and work for it!" she encouraged.

Sasuke watched the two of them interact with slight anger. Why was Kagome acting so warmly to him? Yeah, he knew she was always extremely nice to everyone but to Naruto Uzumaki? Why that dead last?

"Last one." Kakashi called.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularily like anything besides Kagome and her cooking." That made the girl giggle. Sasuke continued in his monotone voice. "What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to resore my clan and destroy a certain somebody."

Kagome and Kakashi stared at the boy, both knowing what he meant while Naruto dreaded the _somebody_ was him.

"Good, your each unique and you have your own ideas." their sensei informed them. "We will have our first mission tomorrow."

"Whoa! What kind of mission!" Naruto asked.

"It's a task that the four of us will do together." the man left him hanging.

"What what what what!" Naruto demanded.

"A training excersise. One where the three of you will spar against eachother, every ninja by themselves. I will decide which what will happen from there." he said.

"Wait... What do you mean '_what will happen from there._'" Kagome tried to impersonate the mans deep voice and failed miserably. It seemed to make Naruto laugh.

"If I told you, you would not want to do the exercise." Kakashi chuckled darkly.

"No, no... Tell us." Kagome leaned forward with bright eyes.

"Well, if you say so." Kakashi continued with his dark voice. "Of the thirty graduates chosen, only twelve will be selected to become Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the Academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it, pass or fail test and the chance that you'll fail is at _least_ sixty six percent."

Naruto was wide eyed, Kagome fiddled with her fingers (a habit she had taken from Hinata) and Sasuke's eyes narrowed further.

"See, I told you that you wouldn't like it." the man smirked under his mask.

"What do you mean pass or fail! We worked hard to get here, believe it. What was that Graduation test for anyways?" Naruto shouted.

"Oh that. Well that was just to select candidates who _might_ become Genin, or not." their non-chalant sensei said. Naruto yelled in frusteration and he finished off by saying, "That's how it is. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot by five am."

Just like that, he was gone. The three almost-Genin sat there, frusterated.

"Well, I suppose I should go home and train a bit before tomorrow." Kagome sighed, standing and offering the boys a smile. "I suppose we will meet in the morning Sasuke?"

She recived a nod for her answer and she giggled. "Alright, have a good night Naruto, Sasuke."

Kagome then jumped from the roof and made her way home.

* * *

><p>From then on, Kagome had used her time wisley and practiced her taijutsu until supper, which turned out being tempura shrimp and vegetables along with miso soup. She ate together with Neji and Hinoki as usual and told them about her day and the mission she would be carrying out the next day. Neji also explained how his team had to do a similer task of going out and finding a scroll, the first one to the scroll was allowed to stay on the team no matter what. It had ended up being Neji himself, but Gai explained afterward that they were all supposed to find it together. Their whole exercise was based on teamwork.<p>

Kagome took that into consideration as she meditated before she went to sleep.

_If it's all about teamwork, how are we supposed to show that while sparing each other? I mean, the only way that we could get along was if we stopped going against each other..._ She thought as she uncrossed her legs at the end of meditating. _There must be some catch... I guess I will figure it out tomorrow._

With that thought in mind, she got into her bed and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Good morning Naruto!" Kagome called out to the blonde haired boy who had arrived ten minutes later than Sasuke and herself. It was about five a.m and Kakashi wasn't even there yet, so the three of them all found comfortable spots and decided to rest until their possible new sensei showed up. By the time he actually came, it was around eight a.m, around four hours since he was supposed to be there.<p>

"Your late!" Naruto screamed at him when he showed.

"Ah sorry, I had to help an old lady with her grocery bags." Kakashi made an excuse.

"It took him that long to take some bags across town?" Kagome murmered. It only took about two hours at the most to get across town at a slow pace. What the heck did he do with the other two hours?

Sasuke just rolled his eyes and jumped down from the tree he had been laying in.

"Alright, we will begin the testing soon. First, to explain the rules. Each of you will start off in different places. Kagome will be in spot A, Naruto in spot B and finally, Sasuke in spot C. I will come by and check on you before you begin when you have reached your own starting place." the man explained in a lazy tone. "Then, I will ring a bell and all of you may start. You will be against eachother, so use whatever time you have before someone finds you."

With those instructions, each newly graduated Genin was ushered off to their begining points.

Kagome stood in her little area, awaiting Kakashi to drop by. When he did though, it seemed he had a frown on underneath his mask.

"Whats wrong Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, studying his upset face.

"It seems that I had overheard Naruto talking when he was headed to point B. He was talking about how he had a plan with Sasuke to gang up on you. That boy doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut it seems. He was also talking about how weird your sister is, a shame really." he sighed. "I thought I would warn you before we start."

He then poofed away, leaving a very confused and angered Kagome.

_What? Sasuke would never gang up with Naruto like that right? I mean, I am his best friend... But he has always been a little jealous over the fact that I can almost match him in power. He has always told me he would do whatever it takes to become a ninja, so if I'm a threat to him... _She thought angirly to herself. _And Naruto calling Hinata-nee, weird! It isn't her fault that she's unconfident and shy! There is absalutley nothing wrong or odd about her!_

The girl was instantly in a overprotective rage and just couldn't wait for the bell to ring.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a seperate clearing, Kakashi had gone to talk to Naruto.<p>

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei! You weren't late this time!" the blond shouted.

"Shh, Naruto. If you raise your voice, the other two will deffinitley hear you." Kakashi warned him. "Anyways, I come baring some pretty interesting information. I heard Kagome talking to herself as she was walking to her spot, none of it was good. You know how everyone thinks shes so innocent? Well it is untrue."

"What do you mean?" the blue-eyed boy scratched the back of his head.

"She was talking about how Sasuke and her are going to gang up on you. Even Sasuke was talking about how worthless you are compaired to them. I mean, they have been friends for a long time now and would chose each other over you. He was even talking about how you would never become Hokage because you aren't in a good clan like the Uchiha or Hyuga." the silver haired male told him. "I thought I would warn you before we start."

The man poofed away, Naruto staying back and having time to process what he just said.

_I could expect that from Sasuke-teme, but Kagome? I guess the snotty Uchiha has gotten to her after all. I will beat the snot out of him! _He growled in his mind.

All he needed was the bell to ring and he would destroy them, showing Kakashi that he could be a Genin.

* * *

><p>Sasuke arrived to his target point around the same time as the other two did and when he got there, Kakashi was already waiting there for him.<p>

"Ah, Sasuke. Your finally here?" the man joked and recived a cold glare from the younger male.

"I understand already, leave." he told the man coldly.

"I already know that, out of all of you three, you are the one I want on my team the most. A powerful Uchiha. Anyways, it seems that your friend and Naruto don't think your all that important from what I heard. They told me everything when I talked to them earlier." he leaned against a tree, his visible eye was squinted. "It seems Kagome thinks you will fail because you haven't had the proper Uchiha training. She told me that she had just never voiced her opinion before. As for the Uzumaki boy, he told me that the two of them were going to team up and defeat you together. I just though I would warn you before we start."

The Jounin's body was gone with a poof of smoke, with Sasuke there by himself he narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands.

_So the Dobe has convinced Kagome to join him. I knew she was too innocent to be near him. _The raven haired male frowned._ I will defeat Naruto and then move onto Kagome..._

All he needed was that small little bell...

* * *

><p>Kakashi smirked.<p>

How he loved to mess with childrens minds. They didn't deserve to be Ninja's if they couldn't understand the fact that he had easily lied to them. Sure it had taken him a while to find things that would bug the Genin into a rage state, but it would be worth it.

With a small tap, he rang the bell for the mission to begin.

The Jounin then went and found himself a tree to sleep in and read his Icha Icha Paradise books. They would attack each other relentlessly. He knew they wouldn't pass. Of course... No one ever had.


	10. Pinned

**Authors Note: HOLY SHIZ! It's been too long... I've had this in the making for a while now, but last year I had exams and then I have a crap ton of stuff coming up along with work... Plus my laziness, you can never forget that. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this very late chapter. It's quite short but there will be more action in the next chapter. Woohoo!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten:<strong>

The bell, the beautiful bell that they had all been waiting for ringed in the morning air so calmly. Nothing seemed disturbed by it, no birds fleeing at the sound and no insects stopped their crawling to wonder what the odd noise was doing near their home. The soft breeze blew through the trees, caressing all leaves that fell from the branches of heathy trees. A calm day, yes, but to three Genin's, it was not.

It was a turning point for all of them, though the path it led them on would surely split some day, they needn't worry of that at that time. They were still kids, inexperienced kids. When speaking to an adult, experience comes a long way. This reason was pushing them further, the craving to have such knowledge, to be a _real_ ninja. A ninja with hard missions, stressful training and painful injuries. A ninja with relaxing days, calm research, the feeling of joy one felt when they had done something correctly. It would be tough for them, but each one knew they would perservere to the end.

A girl, with long and soft raven locks stood in a open area. He eyes, a soft lavender, bulged with veins, a prize in its own. Her body lowered into a stance after hearing the bell, ready for everything. She didn't have to wait long, for in the next twenty seconds, two blurs jumped from the trees toward her.

Her response was quick and easy, grabbing two kunai and flinging them at the moving objects as quick as she could. They evaded them and jumped down infront of her. There stood Sasuke and Naruto, each having a cruel smile on their faces.

"Hey Kagome. We need to be ninja's so we thought that we would use teamwork and defeat you." Naruto grinned. "Plus, a girl on the team would drag us down. You would be the weakest link."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded.

_Hm, Neji had said that teamwork was key... I guess that means they already understood and decided to use it against me._ Kagome thought, eyeing the two boys.

"So, Naruto... You really think Hinata-nee is weird?" she growled at him, narrowing her eyes at the orange ninja.

"Of course she is. First of all, she's from the Hyuga family which automatically means she must have some sort of problem. Second of all, she's trying to be a ninja? Why would she do that when she's a girl? Girls are ment to stay home to cook, clean and make babies. Plus, her stuttering is weird." Naruto crossed his arms.

That made Kagome growl. She was big on womans rights, never liking when a man were to tell her where she should be or what she should be doing. They would deffinitley earn a punch to the gut. The thought that a man trying to '_own_' her made her feel sick.

"And you, Sasuke, are you really going to do this?" her hand moved to her kunai pouch slowly. The exact pouch that she had recieved as a present from him, filled with weapons they had picked out together. In a deep part of her mind, she was saddened to have to face him with the items from past memories.

"Hn." He looked at her, obsidian orbs challenging her.

As usual, she took such a noise as a 'Yes'.

"Fine." she huffed and flung herself forward, making the first move. In a tangle of limbs, Kagome avoided any kicks or punches that came her way, it was mostly coming from Sasuke but Naruto threw in a few good hits. Kagome herself finally landed a jab of gentle fist to Naruto's chest, making his body... Poof away? She had no time to ponder on this because something behind her was calling her attention, as she saw Sasuke come up behind her to deliver a punch through the Byakugan. She twisted her body and slammed him in the chest with her foot. For a momment she swore the kick had been delivered to a hollow mass, but as soon as the feeling was there, Sasuke had already flown back from the blow. Kagome watched as her best friend rolled on the ground when he too... Poofed.

Clones? She narrowed her eyes, looking for the originals, not finding any in her Byakugan. It had been too easy to defeat them. She continued to look but didn't see anything until she stepped on a twig, snapping it. All the sudden a rain of weapons fell frim the trees, all trying to destroy her. Luckily, she had dodged them, using a substitution jutsu.

"Cursed woods." she muttered and was off again, jumping through trees in the forest trying to find her 'teammates'.

It made no sence to her though, why Sasuke and Naruto would team up. First, she knew Sasuke was independent and liked to do things on his own. Second, Sasuke had made it clear he disliked the blond boy. Naruto himself didn't seem to like Sasuke. Kagome could understand that the two of them would do anything to become ninja, but to gang up on her? She thought she knew them better than that.

She herself wished to become a bonified ninja, but to gang up with another would just be unfair. The small Hyuga knew she was too nice for her own good, but that was somthing she was proud of. It was a characteristic she shared with her Mother and Sister, it made her feel closer to the two.

Yes, Kagome's goal was to pass the test. She would risk everything to do so... But still, something weird was going on.

* * *

><p>Naruto, the one and only hyperactive, blond ninja had rushed off as soon as the bell rang. His head was swarming with thoughts on how to get back at Sasuke, his arch rival. Kagome on the otherhand, was different. He knew he would feel horrible if he so much as tried to hurt her, but then again, if she was so weak to fall under Sasuke like everyone else was, then was she really worth it? For a while she seemed kind, maybe it was all a trick that she had been planning for some time.<p>

Naruto, as dense as people thought he was, had heard things from around the village all the time. How Kagome Hyuga was a threat to the Main Branch, whatever that meant, but the blond wondered how the girl could be dangerous. He knew their were many people in the Hyuga Clan, so if she dangered them all, that meant she was strong right? Plus, he knew she was smart. Not only because of class but because of all the whispers of kids and adults when they saw her. They call her a 'genius, like her cousin'.

Naruto just shook off the sour thoughts and jumped onto a large fallen tree. Just as he was about to jump again, there was a swift snapping sound and he was being pulled from the ground, his head just skimming the bark as he was pulled up. It seemed he had fallen right into a trap.

The boy struggled, lifting the half that wasn't stuk in rope, to try and cut it off. But before his kunai could touch the rope, a shuriken swiped past his hand and grazed the flesh, drawing blood. The Uzumaki's blue eyes searched around for who his capture was, only to come to see the image of an upsidedown Sasuke with Kagome standing a few steps behind him.

"Hey, Teme! Let me down or I'll have to come over there and kick your ass so hard that-" The blonde shouted his curses, though the yelling didn't faze the two at all.

"You're useless anyways, a pathetic little whinner that will _never_ become Hokage." Sasuke smirked. "I could finish you off right here, right now."

Naruto growled, feeling an intense sence of anguish building up in him. He just wished that he could swipe at that bastards mouth and make him take it back.

"Naruto, we do not need your asisitence in the world of Ninja training. If we finished you here, the Hyuga and Uchiha would be left to grow further." Kagome seemed cold, the words formulating from her mouth seemed out of place and wrong.

Having enough of the cold and unplaced words (along with the feeling of all blood rushing to his head), he raised his hands and placed them into the now normal and familiar sign. One that would call forward his Shadow Clones. As the fake Naruto's popped out of the white smoke, they rushed forward in a very unorganized and Naruto-ish mannor.

"Hey, let me at 'im!" One would yell, pushing another out of the way. Another would just hop over the clone and continue to launch himself at Kagome and Sasuke.

The two smirked as they saw the blonds attempts at fighting them off and went right to work on destroying the clones. Slashing through them, kicking them or tearing them apart. When they were all through, they looked back to Naruto, still tied up by the rope.

"Weak." was all that Sasuke spat.

"Oh yeah!" a loud voice came from behind them. The duo looked back to see another brightly colored Naruto being flung their war from a tree.

Kagome glared. "Another clone... Wait, no.."

The girl looked back to see the blue-eyed boy hanging from the tree give her a funny face, before it poofed away. _That_ was the clone.

Naruto luckily got a good slash on Kagome before turning to Sasuke and punching him back into a small river nearby. His brows furrowed when he noticed the two poof away.

"What the... They must have run!" the boy raged.

As soon as he came to this conclusion was built, he was running off again... Only to step on a paper bomb and be thrown across the forest.

"Naruto, blasting off again!" he cried.

Never once did he take into consideration that neither Kagome or Sasuke knew Shadow Clone Jutsu.

* * *

><p>Sasuke himself stood there and waited after the bell rung. He knew that running would get him nowhere, so he would stay and wait until something caught his eye. From darker spots of the forest around him, he could see two shadows moving. Assuming Kakashi was right, Sasuke believed his new company were his team mates.<p>

Soon enough, he was bombarded by kunai, shuriken and paper bombs. All of which he quickly avoided and sent a few back in their original direction for retaliation. He could hear the clanks of them being knocked away or the hollow sound of them hitting the wood from tree's.

He narrowed his eyes when he heard the rustling become faint. They were running? Of course they would. He was an Uchiha afterall, they had all privledge to be scared.

A smirk played out onto his pale lips as he took after them, coming closer and closer until he spotted a mass of blond hair and sharp image of ghostly white eyes. The blue eyed boy he hated so much, and the raven haired girl who had become too close to him.

Kagome automatically jumped away but Naruto wasn't as quick so he took a few kunai to the back. Sasuke had been expecting him to either have Kagome save him or use clones, and he was correct on the second assumption. His body went away in a puff of smoke and when he looked up, he noticed two more coming down onto him. He easily dodged and shot them away with one of his families Fireball jutsu's. He smirked again as he heard the poofs of smoke. Naruto was actually putting up a fight.. But where was-

"Sasuke..." came the broken voice of the only person he knew like the back of his hand.

He turned his head around to see three Naruto's holding a scared Kagome. Two of the orange clones held back her arms while the other held a kunai to her neck. Sasuke could read the fear within her eyes and his own eyes almost widened. He watched as a tears leaked down Kagome's white orbs. Would Naruto really do that to her? The idiot that always tried to beat him in school, the one that never cried when he was picked on, the only other one who was alone like him? He was trying to take away one of his precious people. He was just like... Itachi.

When Sasuke blinked, all he could see were ravens flying everywhere. They flocked around Naruto and all the sudden, it wasn't blond hair, but long black strands. It wasn't orange and blue clothing, it was a black and silver ANBU uniform. Not the blue eyes he hated, but the charcoal that he loathed. There he was, his own brother, holding Kagome with a kunai to her throat.

"Foolish boy." Was all he said, and Kagome was laying on the ground, throat bleeding scarlet blood.

"N-No.. Not again.." Sasuke took steps backwards until his back touched the rough bark of a tree. Itachi was gaining on him and all he could do was stand there, petrified.

The man of all his nightmares walked to him and raised a hand to cut through him with his blade.

"Sasuke.. Sasuke.. Sasuke!" The words echoed through his mind as he looked at Itachi.

The older male Uchiha gained a look of confusion until there was a smirk on his face as well. He burst into pieces of white snow that flew into his face, blinding him. When he could finally see, he was looking up into the alive face of Kagome Hyuga. His eyes were still blurry, but he swore he had seen a faint white glow from the mark on her forehead.

"Ka-Go-Me?" He asked hoarsely as he sat up.

The girl nodded and slapped him on the back. "Yes... Why were you laying there, you baka! I know what you said before... And I understand that you would do anything to be a ninja, but where is Naruto? Kakashi said you would be with him..."

Sasuke jerked from the harsh hit and turned his head to look at the girl. His eyes narrowed into slits as he spat out, "Why are you asking me? I thought you teamed up with him."

"What! No! You two were going to team up against me... At least, that's what Kakashi-sensei said..." the girl gave him a confused look.

"He told me that you and Naruto..." Sasuke murrmered.

"Wait... Then... " Kagome let out a gasp. "That's what Neji-ni-san meant! Teamwork... As in all of us. We were supposed to already know that he was lying from the moment he spoke."

Sasuke's eyes widened a slight bit as he took in Kagome's words. That was it! Kakashi had told them lies to set them against eachother. He had known that Each of them had a quirk about them that would peeve them off when spoken about, so he played it to his advantaged and had fooled them all... but that meant...

"Resting on a mission, eh! No wonder Kakashi-sensei likes me the most!" a loud voice yelled.

Several Naruto's jumped down from the trees in attempt to ambush them. Kagome and Sasuke both jumped out of the way as fast and as best they could at the time. Sasuke got away free but Kagome got swiped with a kunai to her left arm. Naruto growled and stood between the two, his clones dispersed.

Kagome put her hand over the cut and frowned, that had damn well hurt!

"Naruto stop, we aren't suppose to be fighting!" She called but was sent a fox like stare from the blond.

"Don't lie to me Kagome, I know you and Sasuke-teme are going to team up and try to take me down. That way you two will be the most powerful team because you're from big clans!" he yelled.

Kagome bit her lip lightly. So that was what Kakashi told him? It was a believable lie, but Kagome would never kick someone out because they weren't from an honorable clan. She would be quite the hypocrite considering she hadn't been allowed in her own clan until she was five.

"I assume that is what Kakashi-sensei told you?" Sasuke asked coldly.

Naruto blinked. "Huh? How did you know!"

Kagome sighed lightly. She knew what this meant, they would have to go after Kakashi. She wasn't sure how easy it would be, but it would take time and presision.

After ten long minutes of explaining to Naruto countless times what Kakashi had planned and finally getting it through to him when Kagome drew a diagramin the dirt with a stick, they were back in a team. A hesitant and trust-issued team, but they were back together none the less.

"Mission: Capture Kakashi-Sensei and kick his ass, Begin!" Naruto called with a big fox-like smirk on his face.


	11. Dirt

**Sooo, I'm back. It's summer and all I have to worry about is my job. Woo! I'm going to try and update this fic faster, but no promises! Here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy :]**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, don't own Inuyasha... Don't think I ever will.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven:<strong>

Kakashi laid in a tree, picking at his teeth with a sebon needle. The sun was high in the sky and the man watched as bright, fluffy clouds rolled by. He let out a sigh of irritation. It was quiet enough for him to think, which he did not want at all. Thinking led to past memories and mistakes and that was a place Kakashi didn't want to revisit. He pulled out the latest book of Icha Icha paradise that he had already read and memorized. He thumbed through the pages until he came to his favorite plot point in the book and began to read.

He laid there for at least an hour or so before he finished the book and flipped to another spot. His lips twitched lightly in amusement when things became even more quiet. The birds stopped their chatter, the insects paused in their buzzing. So they had figured it out? This would be interesting.

There was a ruffle and Kakashi just moved out of the way just in time, otherwise he would have ended up being a Kakashi and tree sandwich from Kagome's gentle fist. The girl was smart coming from above. That wasn't all though, he was quickly sent into another dodge as several Naruto's flung themselves at him from either side. He jumped up quickly which sent the clones smacking into each other and bursting into poof's. Smart move on his part too.

Kagome jumped up at him again, byakugan activated and looking at his chakra coils. She aimed a hand at his arm, but was grabbed quickly and thrown back to a tree. Luckily, Sasuke was there to catch her. He wrapped his arms around her, not having time to set her away and made the proper hand signs to form a fireball jutsu. He let go just as Kagome ducked and sent the flames licking at Kakashi. There was a sliver of hope until...Nope, He poofed into a damn log. Sasuke was honestly starting to hate wood.

Kakashi poofed back into the center which made Naruto jump out from behind a tree and dive to hit him, only for Kakashi to step back and watch Naruto fall on his face. The blond spit out a patch of dirt and glared at the ground. The man was impossible!

All three froze when they heard an odd sound and the next thing they knew, arms had popped from the ground and pulled them into the earth. All they had become were heads in the ground.

Naruto squirmed and shouted for help, "Get me outta here! You damn old ninja!"

Kagome squirmed as well and found it didn't help, only made her small body squish down deeper in the dirt.

Sasuke on the other hand just stayed still. If the man wanted them in this position, he wouldn't let them out. Kakashi had shown him how worthy he was of his Jonnin title.

Said Jonnin watched the tree from his beginning tree with a sigh. "So I see you brats figured it out... You still have a far way to go to even think about calling yourselves ninjas..." He muttered and shook his head, only making the three Genin's flinch and look down in shame. They had thought they did good! Kakashi paused and looked at their faces... So they did all have the same feelings about this.. "But..."

They looked up with confusion. "But what!" Naruto asked.

Kakashi smirked. "I think I can help you along the way to that path... I'll make you strong. I actually think I've started to like you guys."

Naruto cheered, Kagome laughed happily and Sasuke smirked triumphantly. Thank all the gods that had ever been! They had passed, if just by a hair, but they had passed! They were all so relieved. Naruto couldn't wait to tell Iruka, Kagome couldn't wait to tell Neji and Hinoki. Sasuke was just glad that he had made it, it just brought him one step closer to getting his revenge and protecting Kagome.

Kakashi nodded. "I see your all happy. I also think you'll be happy to know your first part of real training begins now... Dig yourselves out of these holes and report to me tomorrow with how you did it. See yeah." He winked and then he was gone just like that.

"What! No come back! You demon!" Naruto yelled and began to curse as he squirmed.

Kagome blinked. That.. That asshole! He was leaving the, to die out here! What if an animal came and ate them! Just as she thought of that, the bushes rumbled and out popped an innocent squirrel that ran up to Sasuke and offered him the acorn he had in his hand but when he glared at the squirrel, it didn't take it kindly and spat a nut that had been in its mouth, at his head. Naruto laughed which caused him to get an acorn to the face as well. The squirrel ran away and Kagome burst out laughing.

This would be a fun team.

* * *

><p>Kagome sighed in pleasure as she lowered her body into the hot water in her bathroom. It felt so nice as it worked through her tense muscles. One could only stay buried underground for so long until they developed cramps.<p>

They had gotten their way out when Naruto had gotten loose and pulled his way out. He had helped Kagome out but was reluctant to help 'the Teme', so Kagome had dug her friend out. They had sat down and took a breather together before Naruto's stomach had gurgled and Kagome offered for them to go out and eat, Sasuke obviously following along.

They had gotten many strange looks from the people around town, then again, who wouldn't stare at three very dirty, bruised and cut Genin walking through the town with messy hair and clothes. Kagome certainly would have done a double take.

By the time they got back into the main part of Konoha, most restaurants had shut down for the night or were too busy and they certainly weren't allowed in any of the bars. Luckily, Naruto had dragged them to a nice ramen shop, Ichiraku's, where everything had been good. Luckily, the owner knew Naruto and had treated them all, saying that they looked like they had worked hard and didn't need to pay. It was just another way to express their pity for being so beat up. Not that their stomachs complained.

After, they had all gone their separate ways, Naruto to his apartment, Kagome to the Branch house (Sasuke walking her there) and Sasuke then going to his clan's houses as well.

Kagome had been greeted by Hinoki and Neji who had both looked at her appearance and laughed. Though, Neji's was more of a smirk and silent laugh combo. She told them what went on and how they passed. They had congratulated her before sending her off to the bath to get clean. That was just another way to tell her she stunk of dirt and blood. Not that her own nose complained.

She sighed and relaxed. Maybe she would have her team over for dinner one day.. They didn't seem all that bad when they were all together. They found some odd level where they could correspond.

Kagome dunked her night black hair in the water and ridded it of its dried up dirt. Once she was finished, she headed to bed, actually exhausted. It was a good sleep too.

* * *

><p>Kakashi stood at a gravestone quietly and stared at the name on it. He sighed and went to leave but stopped.<p>

"Obito... I might have just found the team that could rival our own..."


End file.
